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Illinois  State 

LABORATORY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY, 

URBANA,  ILLINOIS. 


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II  E>  RAFLY 

OF   THL 

U  N  IVERSITY 

OF    ILLINOIS 

NATURAL  HISTORY  SURVE 

530.5 
FI 

v.  3, 
cop.Q 


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Field  Columbian  Museum 

Publication  qi. 

Zoological  Series.  Vol.  Ill,  No.  16, 


CATALOGUE  OF  MAMMALS 


COLLECTED     BY 


E.  HELLER 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA 


BY 
D.  G.  Elliot,  F.  R.  S.  E.,  Etc. 

Curator  of  Department. 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 

March,  1904. 


CATALOGUE    OF    MAMMALS    COLLECTED    BY    E.    HELLER 
IN    SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 


BY  I).  G.  ELLIOT,  F.  R.  S.  E.,  ETC. 

On  his  return  from  the  expedition  into  the  San  Pedro  Martir 
Mountains  in  Lower  California,  Mr.  Heller  was  instructed  to  continue 
collecting  in  the  Colorado  and  Mohave  Deserts,  Death  Valley, 
and  the  various  mountain  ranges  in  the  vicinity  of  these,  visiting  as 
many  as  possible  of  the  type  localities  accessible  on  his  proposed 
route.  In  pursuance  of  the  course  indicated  for  him  to  follow,  he 
commenced  his  labors  in  February,  1902,  at  Whitewater,  where 
four  days  were  passed.  This  place  is  fifteen  miles  from  Palm  Springs 
and  at  the  eastern  terminus  of  San  Gorgonio  Pass  and  the  extreme 
western  end  of  the  Colorado  Desert  at  an  elevation  of  12,000  feet, 
and  here  topotypes  of  Dipodomys  m.  similis  =  D.  m.  simiolus,  were 
procured.  "The  vegetation  about  Whitewater  is  almost  wholly  that 
of  the  Lower  Sonoran  of  the  desert.  The  creosote  bush,  the  char- 
acteristic species,  is  abundant  about  the  ranch  and  to  the  west  as 
far  as  Cabezon,  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Pass.  The  mesquite, 
Prosopsis  julifera,  extends  westward  to  the  same  limits  as  the  creosote. 
A  small  tree  yucca,  Y.  mohavensis,  is  abundant,  and  forms  a  con- 
spicuous part  of  the  vegetation." 

From  Whitewater  Mr.  Heller  went  to  Palm  Sprixgs,  a  village  on 
the  Colorado  Desert  situated  in  a  cave  of  San  Jacinto  Mountain  and 
about  fifteen  miles  east  of  Whitewater.  "The  desert  at  this  place," 
writes  Mr.  Heller,  "is  a  level  plain  of  white  sand,  recently  a  bed  of 
the  arm  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  but  now  4,000  feet  above  sea  level, 
from  which  the  mountains  rise  abruptly  in  some  places,  forming 
cliffs,  and  the  mouths  of  the  canons  are  marked  by  great  alluvial 
fans  which  rise  a  considerable  height  above  the  plain.  Although  so 
close  to  Whitewater,  the  conditions  are  much  more  those  of  the 
desert,  and  the  heat  in  summer  is  extreme.  The  Lower  Sonoran  Zone 
spreads  out  over  the  entire  desert  and  reaches  into  all  the  canons, 
and  ascends  the  sides  of  the  hills  as  high  as  3,000  feet.  The  creosote 
bush  grows  here  to  large  proportions  and  forms  a  continuous  belt 
from  the  lower  hills  well  out  into  the  desert.  The  mesquite,  Prosopis 
julijlora,  and  the  desert  willow,  Cliilopsis  linearis,  are  generally  dis- 

271 


272  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

tributed  along  dry  washes,  in  some  places  forming  thickets  of  large 
extent.  On  the  rocky  hillsides  and  mesas  bordering  the  more  sandy 
portions  of  the  desert  cacti  are  abundant,  chiefly  cholla,  Opuntia 
tesselata  and  0.  echinocarpa,  a  species  of  Cereus,  and  the  barrel  cactus, 
Echinocactus.  In  the  canons  the  fan  palm,  Neowashingtonia  fila- 
mentosa,  forms  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  the  vegetation,  associated 
with  which  are  willows,  cottonwoods,  sycamores,  screw-pod  mesquite, 
and  low  thickets  of  Acacia.  Farther  up  the  canons,  at  2,000  feet, 
occur  the  juniper,  piiion  pine,  and  agave,  while  a  few  Yucca  moha- 
vensis  occur  at  the  mouths  of  the  canons.  Owing  to  the  abruptness 
of  the  mountains  and  the  low  elevation  of  the  plain  upon  which  they 
rest,  the  coast  and  mountain  flora  and  fauna  are  brought  down  into 
close  contact  with  forms  which  are  characteristic  of  the  lowest  part 
of-  the  desert."  A  Citcllus  and  a  Perognathus  are  described  as  new 
from  this  locality  and  topotypes  of  Dipodomys  m.  simiolus,  Perog- 
nathus p.  bangsi,  Nyctinomus  femorosaccus,  and  Neotoma  bella  were 
obtained. 

From  Palm  Springs  Mr.  Heller  traversed  the  Morongo  Pass 
through  the  San  Bernardino  Range  to  its  northern  side.  This  Pass 
which  "marks  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  valley,  has  an  elevation 
of  3,000  feet,  and  the  valley  itself  is  about  500  feet  lower,  and  forms 
a  connection  between  the  Colorado  Desert  and  the  southwestern  arm 
of  the  Mohave  Desert.  The  valley  is  about  ten  miles  in  length,  with 
a  width  of  two  or  three  miles,  and  has  a  gravelly  floor  and  rolling 
surface,  due  to  the  washes  of  the  several  creeks  which  cross  it  at 
right  angles  to  break  through  the  low  hills  on  the  southeast  to  the 
Colorado  Desert.  The  valley  is  in  the  Lower  Sonoran  Zone,  being 
covered  by  a  pure  growth  of  creosote  in  many  parts.  Yucca  niolia- 
vensis  is  also  an  abundant  species  and  here  reaches  its  maximum 
dimensions.  To  the  south,  the  Pass  is  walled  in  by  San  Jacinto 
Mountain,  which  rises  very  abruptly  from  the  level  floor  of  the  desert 
to  a  height  of  10,805  feet.  The  San  Bernardino  Mountains  form  the 
northern  wall,  the  highest  peak  lying  less  than  fifteen  miles  to  the 
north  and  attaining  an  altitude  of  11,485  feet.  At  Whitewater,  the 
mouth  of  the  Pass  is  a  little  more  than  two  miles  in  width,  with  a 
gradual  decline  eastward  to  the  desert.  To  the  west  it  keeps  its 
broad,  open  character  and  gradual  ascent  to  the  summit,  2,600  feet, 
a  few  miles  west  of  Banning,  where  one  day  was  passed  and  a  few 
specimens  procured.  Near  Whitewater  the  Pass  is  filled  with  white 
sand  washes,  and  the  Whitewater  Creek  from  the  San  Bernardino 
Mountains  enters  the  desert  from  the  north  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Pass,  and   the  mountain  vegetation,  and  to  a  slight  extent  the  fauna 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    273 

also,  follows  this  stream  to  the  desert."  A  short  distance  east  of 
the  Pass  is  Warren's  Well,  where  a  few  specimens  were  procured. 
It  is  "in  the  Tree  Yucca  Belt,  the  upper  edge  of  which  is  marked  by 
scrub-oak,  juniper,  and  pihon  pines.  A  considerable  number  of  speci- 
mens were  captured  in  Morongo  Pass,  among  which  was  a  new 
species  of  OuycJwmys  and  topotypes  of  Thomomys  cabezoncs.  The 
next  camp  was  made  at  Burn's  Spring,  in  Burn's  Canon,  on  the 
east  slope  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range,  at  an  altitude  of  5,000  feet. 
This  "is  situated  in  the  Upper  Sonoran  Zone  amid  the  pihon  pines, 
tree  yuccas,  junipers,  and  scrub-oaks.  In  this  region  the  creosote 
bush  is  found  at  an  altitude  of  4,500  feet  and  carries  the  Sonoran 
Zone  well  up  the  canon.  Above  the  canon  are  flats  where  cacti 
and  yuccas  abound,  and  the  only  Upper  Sonoran  plant  found  is  the 
juniper.  The  new  Onychomys  was  also  taken  at  this  place.  A 
number  of  the  desert  species  were  found  here,  and  Citellus  leucurus 
and  Dipodomys  m.  simiolus  were  common. 

The  Mohave  Desert  was  now  reached  and  the  next  stopping-place 
was  Old  Woman's  Spring,  "situated  on  the  level  sandy  desert  at  an 
altitude  of  3,200  feet,  at  the  east  base  of  the  San  Bernardino  Moun- 
tains. The  creosote  bush  is  the  predominant  vegetation  on  the 
sandy  areas,  with  various  species  of  Atriplcx  in  the  dry  lake  beds. 
The  tree  yuccas  straggle  down  to  this  locality,  which  is  their  lower 
limit.  Cacti  are  rare  at  the  spring."  Passing  through  Victor  on 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  where  one  night  was  passed  and  a  few  speci- 
mens secured,  the  next  camp  was  made  at  Oro  Grande,  about  forty 
miles  northwest  of  Old  Woman's  Spring,  where  a  week  was  given  to 
collecting.  "Oro  Grande  is  situated  on  the  Mohave  River  at  an 
altitude  of  2,600  feet,  where  the  river  cuts  through  a  nearly  level 
mesa  country  of  granite  formation,  which  rises  a  few  hundred  feet 
above  its  bed.  The  Mohave  sinks  a  little  east  of  Oro  Grande,  but 
the  water  is  usually  permanent  in  its  bed  the  year  round  at  this  point, 
and  this  marks  the  limit  of  the  paludose  plants  and  such  species  of 
mammals  as  have  followed  this  vegetation  down  from  the  river's 
source.  The  vegetation  of  the  neighboring  hills  and  mesa  is  wholly 
desert  in  character,  and  consists  of  creosote  bushes,  Atriplcx,  vuccas, 
and  a  large  variety  of  cacti,  in  which  many  of  the  desert  animals 
find  shelter.  In  the  river  valley  are  cottonwoods,  willows,  Bacharis, 
grasses,  reeds,  etc.,  and  in  the  drier  parts  of  the  desert  are  willows 
(Chilopsis),  screw-pod  mesquites,  sage-brush,  etc.  The  plains  and 
hills  through  which  the  river  flows  are  all  in  the  Lower  Sonoran  Zone, 
and  the  vegetation  of  the  river  valley  is  a  part  of  that  Zone."  A 
considerable  number  of  specimens  were  obtained  during  the  sojourn 


274  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

at  this  camp,  and  one  new  race  of  Neotoma,  quite  characteristic  of  the 
desert,  and  a  new  species  of  Lcpus,  were  procured. 

From  Oro  Grande,  Mr.  Heller  next  went  to  Daggett,  "situated 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mohave  River  about  fifty  miles  northeast 
of  the  last  stopping-place,  at  an  elevation  of  2,000  feet  above  the 
sea.  At  this  place  the  river  is  a  dry  sand  wash  with  low  banks  which 
rise  gradually  to  the  level  gravelly  desert  through  which  the  bed  has 
been  cut.  The  river,  at  intervals  of  several  years,  contains  water 
for  a  short  period  during  the  winter  as  far  down  as  Daggett,  and  a 
narrow  part  of  the  bed  is  free  from  vegetation.  The  greater  part 
of  the  bottom  land  is  composed  of  fine  white  sand,  which  has  been 
drifted  into  small  sand  dunes  a  few  feet  in  height,  which  gives  it  an 
undulating  surface.  This  part  of  the  bed  supports  a  growth  of  desert 
willows,  Chilopsis,  together  with  a  few  creosote  bushes.  The  level 
and  border  parts  of  the  bed  are  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of 
Atriplcx  bushes.  The  country  bordering  the  river  vallev  consists  of 
extensive  plains  of  granite  gravel,  which  slope  gradually  toward  the 
river  from  the  low  granite  hills  of  the  more  distant  country.  This  is 
perhaps  one  of  the  most  desolate  parts  of  the  Mohave  Desert.  The 
soil  supports  a  widely  scattered  though  even  growth  of  straggly 
creosote  bushes,  interspersed  with  a  few  low  Atriplcx  bushes;  cacti 
and  other  vegetation  is  rare  except  in  canons."  At  this  place  there 
was  a  stay  of  ten  days,  and  especial  efforts  were  made  to  procure 
Citellus  mohavensis  and  Dipodomys  descrti,  and  fair  series  of  both 
were  obtained.  Among  the  various  animals  taken  was  a  new  species 
of  desert  fox  which  ranges  through  this  district  north  to  the  Pana- 
mint  Mountains,  and  has  its  allies  in  British  Columbia  and  west  of 
the  Sierras. 

The  next  camp  was  at  Copper  City,  an  abandoned  mining  camp 
thirty-five  miles  northwest  of  Daggett,  at  an  elevation  of  4,200  feet. 
"It  lies  at  the  south  base  of  the  Granite  Mountains,  of  which  Pilot 
Knob,  seven  miles  north,  is  the  eastern  terminus,  and  on  the  north 
side  of  Paradise  Valley.  This  last  is  an  immense  level,  with  a  forest 
of  giant  yuccas,  except  in  its  central  portion,  where  several  dry  lake 
beds  occur.  Lane's  Mill,  wdiere  a  few  specimens  were  taken,  is 
situated  at  the  southeast  border  of  the  valley.  The  vegetation  about 
Copper  City  is  almost  wholly  creosote,  which  grows  luxuriantly  at 
this  elevation  on  the  loose,  gravelly  soil.  Beneath  the  creosote 
bushes  a  flourishing  growth  of  annuals  is  found  for  a  short  time  in 
the  spring.  The  entire  region  is  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Lower 
Sonoran  Zone:  The  most  abundant  mammal  of  this  district  was 
Perognathus  panamintinus ,  and  it  was  found  everywhere  on  the  loose, 


March.  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    275 

gravelly  soil  about  creosote  bushes;  but  no  specimens  of  Dipodomys 
m.  simiolus  were  seen,  and  the  animal  appeared  to  be  entirely  absent 
from  the  region. 

From  this  place,  proceeding  northward,  Mr.  Heller's  next  camp 
was  at  Lone  Willow  Springs,  in  the  Panamint  Valley.  This  last 
"lies  at  an  elevation  of  1,200  feet  between  the  Slate  and  Argus 
Mountains  on  the  west  and  the  Panamint  Range  on  the  east.  It  is 
a  long,  narrow  vallev  extending  north  and  south  without  outlet,  its 
lowest  part  being  occupied  by  an  alkaline  marsh,  which  is  usually 
dry.  The  sides  of  the  lake  are  in  some  places  vertical  walls,  which 
show  traces  of  wave  action,  and  are  occasionally  made  up  of  fossil 
mollusca,  or  more  commonly  show  traces  of  cavities  where  such 
fossils  existed.  It  is  evident  that  the  valley  was  very  recently  an 
inland  sea  or  lake.  The  physical  features  are  identical  with  those 
of  Death  Vallev,  of  which  it  is  a  prototype  at  a  somewhat  higher 
elevation."  Collections  in  this  valley  were  made  in  two  places, 
Lone  Willow  Springs  and  Ballarat,  the  first  being  at  the  southern 
end,  in  the  Slate  Range,  at  an  altitude  of  2,500  feet.  "The  country 
about  the  Spring  is  broken  by  numerous  small  washes  and  rock 
ledges,  with  the  creosote  most  abundant  on  the  hillsides,  while  the 
mesquite  and  cacti  occur  about  the  rocky  places.  Ballarat  is  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  valley  and  at  the  head  of  the  alkali  marsh.  The 
Lower  Sonoran  Zone  covers  the  vallev  and  the  hills  to  an  altitude 
of  7,000  feet  above  the  sea."  A  short  stay  only  was  made  at  these 
places  and  only  a  few  mammals  were  taken.  The  soil  in  the  valley 
is  extremelv  dry,  and  in  consequence  of  this  no  species  of  Thomomys 
is  found  there,  although  they  occur  in  the  canons  and  on  the  summits 
of  the  mountains. 

From  Ballarat  Mr.  Heller  passed  through  Emigrant  Pass  to 
Mesquite  Valley,  which  is  "in  the  northern  end  of  Death  Valley 
and  slopes  gradually  to  the  south,  but  all  of  its  surface  is  above  sea 
level.  Death  Valley  lies  between  the  Panamint  Range  on  the 
west  and  the  Funeral  and  Grapevine  Ranges  on  the  east.  It  has  a 
general  northwest  and  southeast  direction,  attaining  an  extreme 
length  of  about  120  miles  and  a  maximum  width  of  fifteen  miles. 
Death  Valley  proper  comprises  the  southern  third  part,  and  consists 
almost  wholly  of  an  extensive  alkaline  or  borax  marsh,  the  whole 
of  which  is  more  than  100  feet  below  sea  level.  The  lowest  depres- 
sions in  this  marsh  are  480  feet  below  sea  level.  Employing  the 
lowest  level  as  a  base,  we  would  have  the  Panamint  Range  reaching 
a  height  of  over  11,000  feet  and  the  Funeral  Mountains  of  about 
7,000  feet.     The  marsh  is  snowy  white  in  appearance,  being  covered 


276  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

by  a  deposit  of  various  salts  and  alkalies,  but  the  surface  is  broken 
into  innumerable  cavities  and  raised  into  pinnacles  a  foot  or  two 
high,  which  have  hardened  into  unyielding  masses.  Farther  out 
toward  the  middle  the  surface  is  more  moist  and  less  rough,  but  it  is 
wholly  without  vegetation,  except  near  the  margin,  where  the  compo- 
sition is  less  alkaline.  The  level  ground  bordering*  the  marsh  is 
covered  by  a  pure  growth  of  salt-grass,  which  gives  way  nearer  the 
marsh  to  a  heavy  growth  of  pickle  weed,  Allenrolfea,  which  forms 
a  narrow  border  or  setting  to  the  snowy  expanse.  Away  from  the 
marsh  in  sandy  soil  and  in  creek  beds  the  mesquite  grows  luxuriantlv. 
Between  the  mesquite  and  the  salt-grass  near  the  marsh  several 
species  of  Atriplcx  flourish.  On  the  gravelly  soil  sloping  down  to  the 
valley  from  the  mountains  the  creosote  bush  predominates.  Furnace 
Creek  enters  the  marsh  near  its  northern  end  from  the  Funeral 
Mountains,  and  is  marked  by  a  luxuriant  growth  of  mesquites, 
willows,  cottonwoods,  Baccharis,  Pluchea,  tules,  reeds,  etc.  The 
entire  valley  is  covered  by  clumps  of  large  mesquites  and  in  moist 
places  near  its  walls  by  patches  of  screw-pod  mesquite,  cane-fields, 
bunch-grass,  willows,  etc.  The  southern  part  of  the  valley  has  been 
blown  into  huge  sand  dunes  forty  or  more  feet  in  height.  Over  most 
of  this  area  water  can  be  found  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  surface, 
but  it  is  often  intensely  salt.  The  rarity  of  mammals  in  the  valley 
was  striking,  and  this  can  be  attributed  to  the  Panamint  Indians, 
who  trap  all  kinds  of  mice  and  rats  for  food.  Their  "dead  falls" 
were  seen  about  every  clump  of  mesquites,  and  a  single  Indian,  it  is 
said,  will  catch  daily  seventy-five  or  more  rats  and  mice  for  his 
family."  An  interesting  collection  was  made  in  this  valley  and  new 
forms  were  obtained  in  Citellus,  Dipodomys,  and  Lepus,  as  well  as 
topotypes  of  Ncotoma  desertorum. 

From  Death  Valley  Mr.  Heller  passed  into  the  Panamint  Moun- 
tains and  made  his  first  camp  at  Wild  Rose  Spring.  Of  this  lofty 
range  he  writes  as  follows:  "The  Panamint  Mountains  proper  extend 
from  Windy  Pass,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Death  Valley,  to 
Emigrant  Canon,  at  the  southern  end  of  Mesquite  Valley,  a  distance 
of  about  forty-five  miles.  North  of  Emigrant  Pass,  which  has  an 
altitude  of  5,500  feet,  the  Range  is  continued  as  a  broad  mesa  country, 
which  in  some  places  attains  an  altitude  of  more  than  9,000  feet, 
and  extends  as  far  north  as  Mount  Magruder,  which  gives  the  Range 
a  total  length  of  115  miles.  Telescope  Peak,  the  summit  of  the 
Range,  has  an  altitude  of  10,938  feet  and  is  situated  nearly  due  west 
of  the  lowest  portion  of  Death  Valley.  The  Range  at  this  point  is 
very  narrow,  with  very  steep  sides,  making  the  area  reaching  above 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    277 

8,000  feet  so  small  that  its  limited  fauna  and  flora  do  not  show  the 
characteristic  forms  belonging  to  such  altitudes.  The  higher  parts 
of  the  Range,  in  contrast  to  the  usual  eruptive  formation  of  the 
desert  ranges,  is  made  up  almost  wholly  of  sedimentary  rocks.  The 
ridge  and  sides  of  Telescope  Peak  are  composed  of  slate,  which 
formation  evidently  accounts  for  much  of  its  steepness.  Lower 
down,  the  Range  is  made  up  largely  of  a  hardened,  metamorphosed 
sandstone  of  various  colors,  with  its  strata  much  contorted  and 
folded.  Various  kinds  of  schists  form  a  large  part  of  the  rock  forma- 
tion also.  Lower  down,  some  granite  and  much  porphyry  and 
basaltic  lava  form  the  slopes  of  the  Range.  The  Panamints  are 
evidently  much  younger  than  other  desert  ranges  and  have  not  been 
subject  to  erosion  long  enough  to  wear  away  the  sedimentary  rocks 
which  overlie  the  igneous  or  eruptive  series,  except  near  their  base. 

The  Panamint  Range  is  flanked  by  the  lowest  and  hottest  deserts 
in  America  and  is  everywhere  subject  to  extreme  dryness.  On 
account  of  these  conditions  the  Lower  Sonoran  Zone  extends  far  up 
the  mountains,  the  creosote  bush,  its  characteristic  floral  species, 
reaching  an  altitude  of  5,000  feet.  The  lower  edge  of  the  Upper 
Sonoran  Zone,  which  is  marked  by  the  Juniper  Belt,  extends  down 
to  6,000  feet.  Between  these  two  belts  a  small  shrub,  Coleogyne, 
forms  a  nearly  pure  growth  and  covers  large  tracts  at  the  north  end 
of  the  Range  between  these  altitudes.  The  pinon,  Pi  11  its  mono- 
phylla,  forms  an  extensive  forest  between  the  altitudes  of  7,000  and 
9,500  feet.  Above  the  area  of  the  pinon  the  white-barked  pine, 
Piu us  flcxilis,  predominates  for  a  short  distance  and  extends  to  the 
summit  of  Telescope  Peak,  where  it  becomes  a  prostrate  shrub. 
From  9,000  feet  to  the  summit  of  the  highest  peaks  the  bristle-cone 
pine,  Piuits  aristata,  forms  a  heavy  forest  of  tall  columnar  trees,  in 
which  P.  flcxilis  is  seldom  seen.  The  last  two  species,  in  the  absence 
of  the  yellow  pine,  evidently  mark  the  Transition  Zone,  although 
the  latter  is  closely  related  to  the  Boreal-timber-line  tree  of  the 
Sierras.  Piuits  flcxilis,  however,  is  found  commonlv  in  the  Yellow 
or  Black  Pine  Belt  of  the  Sierras,  beyond  which  belt  it  does  not  extend 
far.  Besides  the  pines  and  junipers,  the  following  species  were  found 
in  the  Upper  Sonoran  and  Transition  Zones: 

Populits  tricocarpa. — Balsam  cottonwood;  a  few  seen  in  Han- 
nopee  Canon,  at  8,500  feet. 

Salix. — Various  species  of  willows  occurred  in  the  canons  to  an 
altitude  of  9,000  feet. 

Cercocarpus. — Mountain  mahoganv  was  abundant  about  the  Coal 
Kilns  and  ranged  from  7,000  to  9,000  feet. 


2]S  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

Acer  glabrum.  —A  small  maple  occurred  widely  scattered  along 
creek  beds  from  7,000  to   r 0,000  feet. 

Sambucus. — The  elderberry  was  observed  occasionally  between 
the  altitudes  of  7,500  and  9,000  feet. 

Amelanchier . — The  June-berry  was  seen  only  near  the  Coal  Kilns, 
where  it  formed  an  extensive  thicket  about  a  spring,  the  bushes 
attaining  a  height  of  ten  feet. 

Spirea. — A  few  bushes  seen  at  8,500  feet  on  Hannopee  Creek. 

Symphoricarpus . — The  snow-berry  was  an  abundant  bush  from 
7,000  feet  to  the  summit  of  the  range. 

Artemisia  tridentata. — The  sage-brush  formed  a  heavy  growth  m 
many  places  and  occurred  from  6,000  feet  to  the  summit  of  the 
range. 

Ceanothus. — A  small  Buck-thorn,  or  lilac,  occurred  sparingly  at 
8,500  to  10,000  feet. 

In  the  lower  part  of  the  Upper  Sonoran  Zone,  and  lower,  various 
species  of  cacti  of  the  genera  Opuutia,  Ccrcus,  and  Echinocactus  were 
abundant.  The  mesquites  were  common  in  creek  beds  up  to  an 
altitude  of  6,000  feet." 

Wild  Rose  Spring  "is  situated  at  the  north  end  of  the  Range 
proper,  on  the  western  side,  on  a  broad,  open  flat,  at  4,500  feet.  A 
small  stream  rises  at  the  spring  and -flows  a  short  wav  down  the 
canon.  The  spring  and  canon  are  overgrown  by  rose  bushes,  willows, 
Baccharis,  etc.,  and  has  long  been  the  favorite  residence  of  the  Pana- 
mint  Indians.  The  higher  ground  near  the  spring  is  comparatively 
level  and  of  a  sandy  character,  with  loose  rocks  scattered  through 
it.  The  vegetation  near  the  spring  is  largely  creosote,  but  this  soon 
gives  way  to  an  unbroken  growth  of  Colcogync.'"  A  series  of  Perog- 
nathus  panamintinus  was  obtained  here,  and  I  presume  thev  are 
topotypes,  as  Perognathus  Flat,  the  type  locality  of  the  species, 
lies  between  Wild  Rose  Spring  and  Emigrant  Canon.  This  Spring 
appears  to  be  near  the  northern  boundary  of  Mil  pes  arsipus,  being 
the  most  northern  point  at  which  the  animal  was  taken..  From  Wild 
Rose  Spring,  the  second  ridge  of  the  range  was  crossed  and  camp 
made  in  Hannopee  Canon  (which  extends  directly  east  from  Telescope 
Peak),  at  an  elevation  of  about  7,500  feet,  near  the  lower  edge  of 
the  Pihon  Belt,  where  seven  days  were  passed,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  specimens  secured.  "Hannopee  Canon,"  says  Mr.  Heller, 
"drains  the  whole  of  the  east  side  of  Telescope  Peak  and  contains 
the  largest  stream  of  water  in  the  Panamint  Range.  Our  first  camp 
was  situated  on  the  north  fork,  at  about  8,500  feet,  and  another 
tarn])  was  made  in  the  main  canon  at  about  6,000  feet,  where  a  con- 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    279 

siderable  stream  of  water  flows  through  the  canon.  This  locality  was 
at  the  upper  limit  of  the  creosote  and  mesquite  vegetation.  Here  a 
series  of  Tamias  panamintinus,  among  other  desirable  specimens, 
were  secured,  and  new  forms  of  Tlwmomys  and  Lepus  were  taken. 
The  route  from  here  was  retraced  to  the  Coal  Kilns,  north  of  Tele- 
scope Peak,  where  four  days  were  passed.  This  camp  was  "about 
ten  miles  southeast  of  Wild  Rose  Spring  and  much  nearer  the  ridge 
of  the  Range,  but  in  the  same  drainage.  The  'Kilns'  are  in  an 
open  ravine,  a  short  distance  above  the  flat  on  which  the  Spring  is 
situated.  The  ravine  at  this  point  is  7,500  feet  in  altitude  and  the 
hills  lie  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  Pihon  Belt.  A  large  number  of 
mountain  mahogany  and  juniper  trees  covers  the  floor  of  the  ravine 
at  this  point."  At  this  canon  a  new  species  of  Peromyscus  was 
secured.  From  here  the  route  was  through  Shepherd  Canon,  in 
the  Argus  Mountains,  and  then  over  the  Coso  Mountains  to  Keeler 
and  Lone  Pine.  The  first  camp  was  made  in  the  canon  above  named, 
and  then  two  days  were  passed  on  the  Coso  Range,  one  at  the  south 
end,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Yucca  arborescens  Belt,  and  another  at 
the  north  end,  at  about  the  same  elevation,  and  forty  or  fifty  mammals 
were  secured,  some  very  desirable.  Mount  Whitney  and  the  neigh- 
boring region  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  was  the  next  objective  point,  and 
a  considerable  stay  was  made  in  the  various  localities.  Of  this 
region  Mr.  Heller  writes  as  follows:  "The  greater  part  of  the  high 
meadows  of  the  southern  Sierras  are  in  the  Boreal  Zone;  that  is, 
thev  are  above  the  belt  of  black  pines,  Piints  jcjjcri.  The  Boreal 
is  here  made  up  largely  of  two  trees,  the  lodge  pole  pine,  Pin  us 
murrayana,  and  the  fox-tail  pine,  Pinus  balfouriaua.  The  former  is 
confined  to  the  borders  of  meadows  and  streams,  and  follows  the 
water  courses  to  timber-line,  where  it  becomes  dwarfed  and  prostrate. 
The  fox-tail  pine  grows  on  the  ridges  and  hillsides  above  the  other 
species  and  forms  a  heavy  growth  at  timber-line,  where  it  grows 
erect,  but  somewhat  dwarfed.  Both  trees  have  practically  the  same 
range,  but  each  grows  on  a  different  kind  of  ground.  These  two 
pines  formed  the  great  bulk  of  the  forest.  A  few  black  pines  occur 
on  the  lower  edge  of  the  Boreal  on  Cottonwood  Creek  and  about 
*Monache  and  Ramshaw  Meadows.  About  Monache  Meadow  occur 
considerable  forests  of  Abies  magnified,  the  red  fir,  and  on  the  ridges 
are  a  few  P.  lambertiana,  the  sugar  pine. 

About    Crater   Meadow,    on    Whitney    Creek,    and    at    Ramshaw 
Meadow,  the  western  juniper,  J.  occidentalis ,  was  abundant  on  rocky 


*  Mr.  Heller  throughout  his  notes  spells  this,  Monache;  Dr.  Merriam,  on  the 
other  hand,  gives  it  as  Menache. 


280  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

hillsides.  The  streams  here  were  bordered  by  small  willows  and  in 
some  places  by  balsam  cottonwoods,  P.  tricocarpa.  In  the  lower 
part  of  the  Boreal  Zone  considerable  brush  occurred.  The  com- 
monest shrubs  were  manzanita,  mountain  mahogany,  chincapin,  sage- 
brush, snow-berry,  currants,  etc. 

The  lower  part  of  Long  Canon  is  in  the  Transition  Zone.  At 
this  point  a  considerable  number  of  trees  and  shrubs  reach  their 
upper  limits.  Among  these  are  the  incense  cedar,  yellow  pine,  silver 
Mr,  sugar  pine,  pinon  pine,  white  alder,  canon  live-oak,  California 
black  oak,  cascara  buckthorn,  Garrya,  etc.  The  lodge-pole  pine  does 
not  range  below  this  altitude. 

The  rock  formation  of  the  higher  parts  of  the  Sierras  is  chiefly 
a  light  grayish  granite,  which  splits  up  into  hard,  angular  blocks. 
On  the  east  side  of  Whitney  Creek,  near  Ramshaw  Meadows,  are  two 
large  craters  of  red  basaltic  lava,  which  have  poured  out  a  large 
stream  of  lava  and  covered  the  country  for  several  miles  to  the  west 
and  southwest  and  broken  the  granitic  monotony.  Much  of  the 
topography  is  rugged,  as  is  usual  in  granite  regions,  especially  at  the 
lower  elevations  where  streams  have  been  able  to  do  considerable 
sculpturing." 

The  first  camp  in  this  region  was  in  Little  Cottonwood  Meadows, 
near  the  summit  of  the  Range,  at  about  9,500  feet  altitude,  and  the 
next  at  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows,  where  six  days  were  passed, 
and  then  the  camp  was  moved  to  Ramshaw  Meadows,  fifteen  miles 
south,  at  an  altitude  of  about  8,000  feet.  Crater  Meadows,  on 
Whitney  Creek,  a  few  miles  west  of  Ramshaw  Meadows,  was  the 
next  stopping-place,  where  Mr.  Heller  remained  six  days,  and  then 
went  to  Whitney  Meadows,  9,000  feet  elevation,  and  passed  six 
days  there.  At  all  of  these  localities  collections  were  made  of  inter- 
esting material,  and  at  Crater  Meadows  the  new  form  of  Gulo  and 
topotypes  of  Microtits  dutchcri  and  Thomomys  at pi 11  us  were  obtained. 
Long  Canon  was  next  visited,  and  a  stay  of  four  days  made  there, 
and  the  route  was  continued  to  Hot  Springs,  several  miles  lower 
down  the  Canon,  and  then  Monache  Meadows  was  visited,  at  the 
southwest  base  of  Olancha  Peak,  and  the  last  camp  was  made  at 
the  head  of  Big  Cottonwood  Creek,  at  the  lakes  situated  at  timber 
line,  at  the  east  base  of  the  peak  of  Old  Mt.  Whitney  (Mt.  Corcoran). 

Valuable  collections  were  made  at  these  points,  and  but  one  new 
form,  Teonoma  c.  acrcoa,  at  Hot  Springs,  was  taken. 

Mr.  Heller  now  went  into  the  Inyo  Mountains  and  remained  two 
weeks,  the  first  camp  being  at  a  spring  in  Beveridge  Canon,  on 
the  east  slope,  at  about  6,000  feet  elevation.     He  says  of  this  place 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    281 

that  the  "geological  formation  and  vegetation  are  almost  identical 
with  that  found  in  the  Panamint  Range  and  many  of  the  mammals 
are  apparently  the  same  species,  here  reaching  their  western  limit." 
About  forty  specimens  were  taken  at  this  place,  and  the  camp  was 
moved  to  the  summit  of  the  Range  and  water  brought  up  from  the 
spring,  eight  miles  below,  for  their  use.  "At  this  elevation  Finns 
flexilis,  the  Rocky  Mountain  white-barked  pine,  and  Piuns  aristata, 
the  bristle-cone  pine,  occurred."  Leaving  the  mountains,  Mr.  Heller 
proceeded  to  Lone  Pine,  a  settlement  "situated  at  the  base  of  the 
Sierras  on  the  west  side  of  Owens  Valley,  a  few  miles  north  of  the 
lake.  It  is  at  an  altitude  of  3,800  feet,  on  a  natural  dry  swale,  at 
the  mouth  of  Lone  Pine  Creek.  The  place  is  separated  from  the 
slopes  of  the  Sierra  by  a  low  range  of  bare  granite  hills.  The  fauna 
and  flora  have  few  desert  characteristics,  most  of  these  having  been 
derived  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  Range.  The  vegetation  on  this  side 
of  Owens  Valley  consists  largely  of  sage-brush  (Artemisia  tridcutata), 
Atriplex,  and  various  shrubby  composite.  The  paludose  vegetation 
of  the  streams  consists  of  willows,  the  western  birch,  cotton  woods, 
ash,  roses,  etc.  Near  the  streams  thickets  of  Ceanothus  and  Rhamnus 
occur.  The  region  is  in  the  Upper  Sonoran  Zone.  The  streams  do 
not  extend  much  beyond  the  base  of  the  Range,  being  soon  lost  in 
the  sandy  valley.  As  they  depend  on  the  melting  snow,  thev  are 
largest  during  mid-summer.  The  Pihon  Zone  of  the  Sierras  extends 
down  to  about  7,500  feet,  which  does  not  carry  it  even  to  the  base 
of  the  Range." 

A  good  number  of  mammals  was  procured  at  this  place,  among 
which  were  two  new  forms  of  Peromyscits,  and  topotypes  of  Ncotoma 
j.  dispar,  Microtus  c,  vallicola,  and  Tkomomys  a.  perpes. 

From  here  Mr.  Heller  went  to  Keeler,  "on  the  east  shore  of 
Owen's  Lake,  at  an  altitude  of  3,622  feet.  For  a  half-mile  or  more 
before  the  lake  is  reached  is  a  level  expanse  of  white,  sandv  soil, 
containing  a  large  amount  of  soda  and  other  salts,  which  have  been 
deposited  as  the  waters  receded.  To  this  sandy  margin  and  alkali 
soil  several  species  of  mammals  are  confined  and  owe  their  coloring, 
apparently,  to  the  composition  of  the  soil.  Just  back  of  the  water's 
edge  is  a  considerable  expanse  of  bare  mud  and  deposit  of  soda,  etc., 
and  beyond  this  occurs  a  growth  of  salt-grass  about  a  hundred  vards 
wide,  succeeded  by  tracts  of  loose  sand,  with  a  scattered  growth  of 
Atriplex  bushes,  which  gradually  give  way  to  small  sand  dunes  and 
creosote  bushes."  The  mammals  from  this  place  have  their  colora- 
tion intensified,  and  even  such  species  as  are  found  in  other  localities 
have   a  much   richer   pelage   exhibited   by   individuals   from   Keeler. 


282  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

New  forms  of  Citellus,  Dipodomys,  and  Perognathus  were  procured 
here,  and  also  topotypes  of  Thomomys  operarius  and  Di podomys  m. 
nitratus.  From  this  last  stopping-place  Mr.  Heller  drove  to  Fort 
Tejon,  which  journey  occupied  nine  days,  and  a  week  was  passed 
at  this  place.  Mr.  Heller  writes :  "Fort  Tejon  lies  in  the  San  Joaquin 
drainage,  a  few  hundred  feet  below  the  divide  between  the  Mohave 
Desert  and  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  North  of  the  P'ort  the  Teha- 
chapi  Range  rises  gradually  northward  and  culminates  in  Tehachapi 
Peak.  At  their  southern  end  near  the  Fort,  their  sides  are  gently 
rounded  and  the  summits  broad  and  level.  To  the  south  of  the 
Fort,  Mt.  Pinos  rises  abruptly  to  a  height  of  nearly  10,000  feet.  On 
this  mountain  three  new  forms  belonging  to  the  genera  Peromyscus, 
Ncotoma  and  Perognathus  were  procured.  Three  drainage  systems 
center  about  Mt.  Pinos;  those  of  the  north  and  west  slope  into  the 
San  Joaquin  Valley;  those  of  the  east  and  south  go  toward  the  coast, 
and  that  of  the  east  of  the  slopes  of  the  Tehachapi  and  Libra  Ranges, 
passes  into  the  Mohave  Desert.  The  west,  or  rather  northwest, 
slope  of  the  pass  drops  away  much  more  rapidly  than  the  east,  which 
drops  about  500  feet  in  ten  miles,  where  it  merges  into  Antelope 
Valley. 

The  rock  formation  is  largely  shale,  sandstone,  or  limestone.  The 
hills  down  to  an  altitude  of  2,000  feet  are  heavily  covered  with 
chaparral  of  scrub-oak,  buck-thorn,  chamiso,  manzanita,  Garrya,  and 
other  shrubs.  In  the  canons  and  ravines  several  kinds  of  oaks  pre- 
dominate. The  hills  above  4,000  feet  are  covered  by  a  scattered 
forest  of  pifion  pines,  which  give  way  to  the  black  pine  at  6,000  feet. 
The  desert  slope  of  the  hills  is  similar  in  vegetation  to  that  of  the 
coast,  but  supports  a  scattered  growth  of  gray  pines  below  the  Pihon 
Zone.  The  lower  slopes  of  hills  bordering  the  San  Joaquin  Valley 
are  largely  clothed  by  buckeyes,  poison-oak,  box-elder,  cottonwoods, 
willows,  and  Isomeris  brush.  The  valleys  among  the  hills  are  usually 
open  and  grassy  below  5,000  feet,  with  a  widely  scattered  growth 
of  California  white  oak.  Above  5,000  feet  many  of  the  valleys  are 
choked  with  sage-brush  and  scrub-oaks. 

Three  days  were  passed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canada  De  Las 
Uyas,  between  the  Fort  and  Rose  Station,  on  the  edge  of  the  San 
Joaquin  Valley,  and  topotypes  of  Antrozous  p.  pacificus  were  pro- 
cured. Five  days  were  passed  at  Castac  Lake,  and  then  Lock- 
wood  Valley  was  visited.  This  Valley  lies  "broad  and  open  at  the 
east  base  of  Mt.  Pinos,  at  an  elevation  of  5,000  feet.  The  drainage 
is  southeast  into  Piru  Creek.  The  valley  is  chiefly  a  sage-brush 
plain,   and   the   hills   surrounding  it   are  forested   with   Piiius   mono- 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.     2$i> 

phylla  and  scrub-oaks.  Here  a  small  series  of  a  new  form  of  Perog- 
nathits  was  taken.  Three  days  were  passed  at  Bailey's  Ranch,  at 
the  headwaters  of  Piru  Creek,  about  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth, 
which  is  near  the  type  locality  of  Euderma  maculata,  but  nothing 
resembling  this  species  was  seen.  "The  ranchers  had  never  seen  any 
bat  answering  the  coloration  of  Euderma,  but  had  killed  Antrozons, 
Vespertilio,  and  Pipistreltus."  From  here  Mr.  Heller  went  to  Neenach, 
Antelope  Valley,  where  was  a  small  herd  of  antelope  that  were 
protected.  He  had  a  permit  to  take  a  male  and  female,  and  with 
the  acquisition  of  these,  his  journey  was  brought  to  a  close. 


ORDER    UNGULATA. 

FAM.    CERVID/E. 
*ODONTOC(ELUS. 
Odontocoelus  hemionus. 

Cervus  hemionus  Rarin.,  Amer.  Month.  Mag.,  1,  181 7,  p.  436. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  42. 

2  Specimens  J  $  :     Long  Canon,  Mt.  Whitney. 

"Deer  were  secured  only  at  the  head  of  Long  Canon,  near  Mt. 
Whitney,  at  8,500  feet  elevation.  In  this  part  of  the  Sierras 
their  tracks  were  not  rare  on  brushy  hillsides  and  rockv  ridges. 
The  species  in  this  region  is  subject  to  vertical  seasonal  migra- 
tions. The  winter  months  are  spent  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the 
range  along  both  the  eastern  and  western  sides,  until  the  early 
summer,  when  a  gradual  upward  migration  takes  place  until 
midsummer  to  the  upper  limits  of  the  manzanita  and  Ceanoikus 
brush,  at  about  9,500  feet  altitude.  This  marks  their  extreme 
upper  limits,  the  majority  being  found  1,000  or  2,000  feet  lower 
where  the  brush  is  heavier.  Their  tracks  are  seldom  seen  in 
open  pine  forests  or  in  meadows.  Deer  seldom  occur  on  the 
Inyo  Mountains,  except  occasionallv  in  winter  as  strays  from  the 
Sierras.  No  deer  occur  on  the  ranges  east  of  the  Inyo  Moun- 
tains. Their  absence  in  the  high  pine-clad  Panamint  Range  is 
no  doubt  due  to  the  lack  of  brushy  areas.'  In  the  hills  about 
Fort  Tejon,  in  the  Tehachapi  and  Mt.  Pinos  Ranges,  deer  tracks 
were  abundant  in  the  heavy  oak  and  Ceanoikus  chaparral.  In 
the  foothills  of   the  San  Jacinto  Range  near  Palm  Springs  and 

*If  it  is  necessary  to  burden  our  nomenclature  with  Rafmesque's  generic 
term,  founded  upon  a  tooth  of  some  undeterminable  animal,  let  us  at  all  events 
spell  it  correctly,  odiiuc,  tooth,  KoJAoq,  hollowed — Odontocoelus. 


284  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

in  the  lower  slopes  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range  near  Morongo 
Pass  and  Burn's  Canon,  they  are  said  to  occur  sparingly.  Formerly 
they  descended  the  valley  of  the  Mohave  River  as  low  as  Oro 
Grande." 

fam.  antilocaprid:k. 

AN  TILOCAPKA. 

Antilocapra  americana. 

Antilocapra  americana  Ord,  Guth.,  Geog.,  2d  Amer.  ed.,  11, 
p.  292.      Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Amer.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  43. 

2  Specimens  6  ?  :  Antelope  Valley,  near  eastern  base  of  the 
Tehachapi  Mountains. 

A  herd  of  thirty  was  found  in  the  western  end  of  Antelope 
Yallev,  near  the  eastern  base  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains,  on 
the  western  border  of  the  Mohave  Desert.  This  band  is  the 
remnant  of  the  hundreds  that  recently  inhabited  this  arm  of  the 
desert.  The  central  sandy  portion  of  the  valley  is  covered  by  a 
heavv  forest  of  tree-yuccas,  which  is  flanked  by  an  open  adobe 
plain  supporting  a  scanty  growth  of  bunch-grass  and  alrilerea, 
to  the  bases  of  the  bordering  hills  and  mountains.  Upon  this 
open  plain  the  antelope  are  always  to  be  found  in  a  compact 
herd.  Occasionally  they  go  to  the  mouths  of  the  canons  for 
water,  or  wander  out  into  the  edge  of  the  yucca  forest.  As 
they  are  now  protected  by  law,  the}"  have  become  quite  tame 
and  would  increase  rapidly,  were  it  not  for  the  destruction  of 
the  young  by  coyotes,  which  harass  the  band  constantly.  While 
stalking  this  herd  several  coyotes  were  observed  following  the 
antelope  and  a  few  of  the  old  bucks  were  seen  pursuing  one, 
attempting  to  disable  it  by  striking  it  with  the  fore  feet.  A 
fawn  seen  in  captivity  at  one  of  the  ranches  had  been  rescued 
from  the  attacks  of  two  coyotes  that  had  cut  it  out  from  the 
main  herd  and  had  almost  succeeded  in  running  it  down.  Formerly 
when  antelope  were  abundant,  they  retired  to  the  small,  sheltered 
valleys  among  the  foothills  to  winter,  and  in  the  spring  brought 
forth  their  young  in  such  retreats;  but  the  existing  herd,  on 
account  of  its  small  numbers  and  the  settled  condition  of  the 
country,  is  strictly  resident  on  the  open  plains.  Much  of  the 
countrv  they  now  inhabit  is  a  cattle  ranch  fenced  by  barbed 
wire,  but  such  barriers  do  not  confine  their  movements.  In 
passing  such  obstacles  they  slip  gracefully  between  the  wires. 
.  The  voung,  which  are  normally  two  in  number,  are  dropped 
early  in  the  spring.      The  rutting  season  is  evidently  in   mid- 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.     285 

summer,  as  the  horns  are  shed  in  the  early  part  of  October 
or  late  in  September.  A  male  shot  the  middle  of  October  had 
small,  soft  horns,  and  a  female  taken  the  same  date  had  shed 
one  horn,  but  still  retained  the  other.  This  specimen  contained 
two  embryos  about  three  months  old. 

At  the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  near  the  western  termi- 
nation of  Tehachapi  Pass,  a  herd  of  seven  antelope  is  said  to  be 
still  in  existence  on  the  open  plains  of  the  valley.  Another  band 
of  about  the  same  proportions  was  reported  still  farther  west, 
near  Buena  Vista  Lake,  and  another  one  on  the  Carriso  Plains, 
on  the  western  side  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  Thev  are  said 
to  have  formerly  migrated  through  the  low  passes  in  the  Teha- 
chapi Mountains  from  the  San  Joaquin  to  the  Mohave  Desert. 

ORDER    RODENTIA. 

FAM.    SC1URID/E. 

SCIURUS. 

A.  Hesperosciurus. 
Sciurus  griseus. 

Sciurus  griseus  Orel,  Guth.,  Geog.,  1815,  p.  292.  Elliot,  Syn. 
N.  Am.  Mamm.,  iqoi,  p.  55.  • 

I  Specimen:     Hot  Springs,  Mt.  Whitney. 

"This  squirrel  was  not  common  at  this  elevation,  where  thev 
were  confined  to  the  black  pine  timber,  Finns  jeffreyi,  which 
does  not  extend  much  above  this  altitude.  They  were  also  seen 
about  Fort  Tejon  and  on  Mt.  Pinos.  About  the  fort  they  were 
found  in  the  white  and  live-oaks,  and  on  Mt.  Pinos  in  forests 
of  Pi  mis  jeffreyi. 

Sciurus  douglasi  albolimbatus. 

Sciurus  d.  albolimbatus  Allen,  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
1898,  p.  453.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  66. 

II  Examples:  1  Whitney  Creek,  1  Whitney  Meadows,  4  Ram- 
shaw  Meadows,  4  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows,  1  Hot  Springs,  Long 
Canon,  Mt.  Whitney. 

"An  abundant  species  in  the  Canadian  Zone  of  the  high 
Sierras,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Whitney.  Most  of  the  chicarees 
were  seen  in  forests  of  lodge-pole  pines,  Piuus  iniirrayaua,  but 
they  were  not  rare  in  growths  of  the  fox-tail  pine,  Piuus  balfour- 
iana.  None  were  seen  below  the  range  of  the  lodge-pole  pine 
or  below  8,000  feet.     At  timber-line  thev  were  rare,  the  favorite 


286  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

altitudes  of  the  species  being  from  9,000  to  10,000  feet.  At  the 
Hot  Springs  their  range  overlaps  that  of  the  gray  squirrel,  but 
the  two  species  inhabit  different  kinds  of  timber." 

TAMIAS. 
Tamias  merriami. 

Tamias  asiaticus  merriami  Allen,  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
1889,  p.  176. 

Tamias  merriami  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  71. 

13  specimens  from  Lockwood  Valley,  Mt.  Pinos.  Altitude, 
5,000  feet. 

"This  species  was  found  abundantly  about  Mt.  Pinos  at  from 
5.000  to  6,000  feet  in  the  scrub-oak  and  pinon  timber.  At  the 
time  of  our  visit,  early  in  October,  the  chipmunks  were  busy 
gathering  the  nuts  of  the  pinon,  Finns  monophylla,  and  the 
ground  at  the  bases  of  the  trees  was  covered  with  heaps  of  cone 
scales,  from  which  radiated  the  trails  of  the  chipmunks  in  everv 
direction.  About  Fort  Tejon,  which  is  below  the  Pinon  Belt, 
these  animals  were  more  scarce  and  confined  to  thickets  of  scrub- 
oaks,  Quercus  chrysolepis  and  <].  dumora.  Several  were  found 
living  in  deserted  nests  of  Neotoma  f.  streatori." 

This  was  the  only  chipmunk  seen  upon  Mt.  Pinos,  no  indi- 
viduals of  Tamias  callipeplus  having  been  observed. 

Tamias  callipeplus  inyoensis. 

Tamias  c.  inyoensis  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1897, 
p.  208;  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  73. 

Two  examples  were  procured  at  the  summit  of  the  Invo 
Range,  at  an  elevation  of  8,500  feet. 

"In  this  region  the  species  was  found  largely  on  the  bristle- 
cone  pine,  Piiius  aristata,  occasionallv  straying  to  the  upper 
limits  of  the  limber  pine,  Piiuis  flcxilis,  and  the  summit  of  the 
range  east  of  Lone  Pine  marks  the  southern  limits  of  the  two 
pines  which  this  chipmunk  inhabits,  and  consequently  at  this 
point  but  few  were  seen." 

Tamias  frater. 

Tamias  frater  Allen,  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  1890,  p.  88; 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  73. 

22  Specimens  from  Mt.  Whitney,  6  Monache  Meadows,  1  Hot 
Springs,  2  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes,  7  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows, 
6  Whitnev  Creek. 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    287 

"About  the  high  meadows  near  Mt.  Whitney  this  was  one  of 
the  most  abundant  mammals.  Above  10,000  feet  it  becomes 
rare,  and  is  seldom  seen  near  timber-line.  Near  Big  Cotton- 
wood Creek  it  was  common  on  bushy  hillsides,  about  manzanita 
and  mountain  mahogany  chaparral.  Few  were  seen  below 
8,000  feet,  they  being  apparently  most  numerous  above  the 
belt  of  black  pine. 

Tamias  panamintinus. 

Tamias  panamintinus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1893, 
p.  134.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  74. 

57  Examples:  17  Hannopee  Canon,  17  Coal  Kilns,  9  Beveridge 
Canon,  13  summit  of  the  range  east  of  Lone  Pine,  Panamint 
Mountains. 

"In  the  Panamints  this  chipmunk  was  fairly  common  from 
the  lower  edge  of  the  Juniper  Belt,  or  7,000  feet  elevation,  to 
the  summit  of  the  range.  During  May  and  June,  when  our 
observations  were  made  the  species  was  feeding  on  the  seeds  of 
the  juniper,  most  of  those  secured  having  their  cheek  pouches 
filled  with  the  nuts.  It  was  also  abundant  on  the  Inyo  Moun- 
tains from  6,000  to  9,000  feet  altitude.  It  descends  about  1,000 
feet  below  the  Pinon  Belt,  following  the  brush  along  streams. 
In  the  drier  part  of  the  range  it  came  to  the  springs  daily  about 
noon,  coming  down  the  canon  sides  slowly  and  cautiously,  and 
stopping  often  to  utter  its  sharp,  chattering  alarm  notes.  Above 
the  Juniper  Belt  they  were  found  commonly  in  the  limber  and 
bristle-cone  pines." 

Tamias  minimus  alpinus. 

Tamias  m.  alpinus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1893,  p.  137. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  79. 

26  Specimens:  12  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows,  1  Little  Cotton- 
wood Meadows,  5  Whitney  Meadows,  6  Whitney  Creek,  2  Mt. 
Corcoran. 

"In  the  elevated  valleys  near  Mt.  Whitney  this  was  the  most 
abundant  chipmunk.  It  is  especially  common  at  timber-line, 
where  it  lives  amid  the  gray  granite  boulders,  to  which  its  pale 
coloration  is  well  suited.  Wherever  found  it  usually  occurs 
among  rocks  rather  than  about  logs  and  timber.  The  species 
was  seldom  seen  below  9,000  feet.  A  few  were  seen  as  far  south 
as  Olancha  Peak,  which  marks  the  southern  extremity  of  timber- 
line  peaks  and  also  the  range  of  the  species." 


288  Field  Columbian  JvIuseum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

CITELLUS. 
Citellus  chrysodeirus. 

Citellus  chrysodeirus  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  4,  1890,  p.  19. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  84. 

26  Examples:  3  Little  Cottonwood  Meadows;  11  Big -Cotton- 
wood Meadows,  3  Whitney  Meadows,  1  Whitney  Creek,  4  Mona- 
che  Meadows,  1  Ramshaw  Meadows,  2  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes. 
Mount  Whitney,  1  Summit  of  the  Inyo  Range  east  of  Lone  Pine. 

"An  abundant  species  in  the  Boreal  Zone  of  the  Sierras  in  the 
Mount  Whitney  region.  It  is  not  common  in  the  Transition 
Zone,  the  upper  part  of  which  it  invades  as  low  as  8,000  feet,  or 
the  lower  limit  of  the  lodge-pole  pine.  Between  8,000  and 
r 0,000  feet  it  is  most  abundant,  extending  its  range  to  timber- 
line,  but  never  becomes  common  at  such  high  altitudes.  The 
lodge-pole  pine  forests  bordering  meadows  and  streams  are  its 
favorite  haunts,  the  burrows  being  usually  placed  among  granite 
boulders.  A  few  individuals  were  found  on  the  summit  of  the 
Inyo  Range  at  8,500  feet  in  forests  of  limber  pine.  Their  dis- 
tribution on  this  range  corresponds  with  that  of  Tamias  c. 
inyoensis." 

Citellus  leucurus. 

Citellus  leucurus  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  2,  1889,  p.  20. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  86. 

32  Specimens:  10  Palm  Springs,  9  Whitewater,  1  Banning, 
4  Morongo  Pass,  3  Lone  Willow  Spring,  5  Daggett. 

"In  the  eastern  part  of  San  Gorgonio  Pass  the  antelope  squir- 
rel occurs  abundantly  on  rocky  mesas  and  on  the  gravelly  bed  of 
the  pass.  It  extends  westward  through  the  pass  as  far  as  Ban- 
ning, which  lies  a  little  below  the  summit  on  the  western  slope. 
The  cheek  pouches  of  the  majority  of  the  specimens  secured 
contained  the  seeds  of  the  cholla  cactus,  Opuntia  echinocarpa, 
which  is  an  abundant  plant  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  pass. 
About  Banning,  however,  the  squirrels  live  in  thickets  of  the 
coast  chollas,  0.  bernardina,  which  is  an  abundant  species  from 
the  summit  westward  to  the  San  Bernardino  Valley.  Evidently 
the  distribution  of  this  Citellus  is  limited  by  the  climatic  influ- 
ences of  the  coast  slope,  as  the  species  extends  over  the  summit 
of  the  pass,  and  its  chief  food  supply  extends  much  farther  west. 

About  Palm  Springs  the  species  is  confined  to  the  rocky 
mesas  bordering  the  desert,  the  mouths  of  canons  and  the  lower 
slopes  of  the  mountains.     It  is  not  a  species  of  the  low,  open, 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    289 

sandy  desert,  but  requires  rocky  or  at  least  gravelly  localities, 
except  the  higher  brush-covered  sandy  areas  of  mesas. 

The  species  was  found  as  high  as  6,000  feet  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range,  which  altitude  was  also 
attained  by  the  desert  cholla.  It  is  a  characteristic  species  of 
the  Sonoran  Zone,  extending  through  both  the  lower  and  upper 
divisions,  but  of  local  distribution  in  the  extreme  upper  and 
lower  part  of  the  zone. 

Citellus  leucurus  vinnulus. 

Citellus  1.  vinnulus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in.  1903, 
p.  240.      Zoology. 

19  Examples:  3  Summit  of  the  Inyo  Range  east  of  Lone 
Pine;  4  Beveridge  Canon,  4  Keeler,  2  Coso  Mountains,  2  Wild 
Rose  Spring,  1  Hannopee  Canon,  3  Coal  Kilns,  Panamint  Moun- 
tains. 

Although  Mr.  Heller  in  his  notes  states  that  this  spermophile 
is  found  in  Death  Valley,  no  specimens  were  taken  there.  He 
writes  concerning  this  new  form  that  it  is  "an  abundant  species 
on  the  higher  parts  of  the  Mohave  Desert.  About  the  mesquite 
thickets  and  sand-dunes  of  the  northern  part  of  Death  Valley  it 
was  of  rather  rare  occurrence,  but  on  the  mountains  confining 
the  valley  it  is  much  more  abundant.  This  form  ranges  over 
the  slopes  of  the  Panamint  Mountains  to  an  altitude  of  8,500 
feet,  or  the  upper  limit  of  the  pifion  pines.  They  were  espe- 
cially numerous  at  7,500  feet  about  the  Coal  Kilns,  and  at  8,000 
feet  on  Hannopee  Creek.  In  these  high  altitudes  they  are 
usually  associated  with  thickets  of  Canutilla,  Ephedra  viridis, 
beneath  which  their  burrows  are  usually  placed. 

The  highest  altitude  attained  by  this  species  in  the  region 
traversed  was  in  the  Inyo  Mountains,  where  they  were  secured 
at  9,000  feet,  some  distance  above  the  Pifion  Pine  Belt.  They 
were  fairly  common  in  this  locality  in  the  lower  edge  of  the 
limber  pine  timber.  The  cheek  pouches  of  the  specimens 
secured  at  these  altitudes  contained  seeds  of  mountain  mahogany 
and  of  a  small  cactus,  Opuntia  rutila. 

In  Owens  Valley,  at  the  base  of  the  range,  they  were  less  com- 
mon, but  generally  distributed  to  the  base  of  the  Sierras,  where 
they  evidently  do  not  ascend  the  slope  much  beyond  6,000  feet. 
About  Keeler,  on  the  shore  of  Owens  Lake,  they  were  abundant 
in  the  sand  dunes  and  creosote  vegetation." 


290  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

Citellus  nelsoni. 

Citellus  nelsoni  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1893,  p.  129. 
Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  87. 

5  Specimens  from  Rose  Station,  Fort  Tejon. 

This  species  inhabits  the  open,  level,  grassy  plain  of  the 
San  Joaquin  Valley.  A  considerable  number  was  seen  near  the 
head  of  the  valley  in  grain-fields,  about  five  miles  beyond  the. 
northern  base  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains.  In  this  locality 
they  were  found  inhabiting  burrows  dug  in  the  hard  adobe  floor 
of  the  valley,  and  were  to  be  seen  out  only  early  or  late,  being 
considerable  less  diurnal  than  C.  leucunts.  On  account  of  the 
open  character  of  the  plain  inhabited  by  this  squirrel,  it  is  much 
more  protectively  colored,  the  white  dorsal  stripes  and  the 
white  of  the  under  side  of  the  tail  being  scarcely  conspicuous 
on  the  pale  yellowish  background  of  the  body.  They  were  not 
found  anvwhere  closer  than  four  miles  to  the  foothills  surround- 
ing the  valley,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  do  not  leave  the 
open  valley. 

Citellus  variegatus  fisheri. 

Citellus  v.  fisheri  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1S93,  p.  133. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  88. 

12  Specimens:  1  Oro  Grande,  2  Hot  Springs,  Mt.  Whitney; 
3  Lone  Pine,  6  Fort  Tejon,  at  the  mouth  of  Canada  de  las  Uvas. 

"This  rock-squirrel  was  found  on  both  slopes  of  the  Sierras, 
as  high  as  8,000  feet,  or  the  upper  limit  of  the  black  pine,  down 
to  the  floor  of  the  O.wens  Valley  and  as  far  east  as  the  Coso 
Valley.  In  the  Colorado  Desert  it  was  seen  on  the  eastern  flank 
of  the  San  Jacinto  Mountains,  and  farther  north  in  the  Mohave 
Desert  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains. 
About  Fort  Tejon  and  the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  they 
were  abundant  in  the  white-oaks,  and  on  the  mountains  as  high 
as  6,000  feet,  but  do  not  extend  farther  east  than  the  base  of  the 
foothills." 

There  is  a  considerable  variation  in  the  color  of  Mr.  Heller's 
specimens,  some  being  nearly  black  between  the  shoulders,  like 
S.  v.  douglasi.  These  are  from  Oro  Grande  and  Fort  Tejon. 
Again,  one  from  Lone  Pine  is  of  such  a  pale  gray  that  if  the 
others  from  the  same  locality  agreed  with  it  in  color,  there  would  be 
little  hesitation  in  regarding  it  as  entitled  to  subspecific  rank,  but 
the  other  examples  are  an  unusually  deep  rich  brown,  which  proves 
that  the  gray  specimen  exhibits  merely  an  individual  variation. 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    291 

Citellus  tereticaudus  mohavensis. 

Citellus  mohavensis  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  2,  1889,  p.  15. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  98. 

34  Specimens  from  Daggett. 

"Near  the  dry  bed  of  the  Mohave  River,  near  Daggett,  this 
race  was  found  in  abundance.  The  burrows  are  usually 
placed  beneath  clumps  of  desert  willows,  Chilopsis  linearis,  in 
the  white  sand.  The  desert  squirrel  is  very  wary,  and  so  pro- 
tectively colored  that  it  is  seldom  seen.  The  species  is  confined 
to  creek  washes  and  sandy  lake  beds  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
desert.  Its  note  consists  of  a  low,  mellow  whistle,  uttered  at 
long  intervals." 

In  color  it  is  practically  impossible  to  distinguish  this  form 
from  C.  tereticaudus,  and  the  only  differences  that  appear  to 
exist  is  that  mohavensis  has  a  shorter  tail  as  a  rule.  Not  deeming 
this  a  sufficient  character  by  itself  to  constitute  a  species,  it  seems 
best  to  regard  the  form  as  only  entitled  to  rank  as  a  subspecies. 

Citellus  chlorus. 

Citellus  chlorus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  ill,  1903, 
p.  242.    Zoology. 

8  Examples  from  Palm  Springs. 

"Near  Palm  Springs  this  species  was  confined  to  the  level, 
sandy  desert,  the  burrows  being  placed  beneath  thorny  bushes, 
usually  mesquite.  The  characteristic  whistling  notes  of  this 
group  were  not  heard  during  our  visit  in  February,  which  may 
be  due  to  their  utterance  during  the  breeding  season  only." 

Citellus  erenomonus. 

Citellus  erenomonus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903, 
p.  243.     Zoology. 

3  Specimens  from  Furnace  Creek,  Death  Valley. 

"This  is  not  an  abundant  species  in  Death  Valley.  The 
Indians  catch  them  for  food  in  dead-fall  traps,  and  their  shyness 
and  scarcity  is  apparently  due  to  constant  persecutions  of  this 
character.  At  the  mouth  of  Furnace  Creek  the  species  was 
found  in  mesquite  thickets,  but  farther  north  in  Mesquite  Valley 
no  evidences  of  them  were  found." 

MARMOTTA. 

Marmotta  flaviventer. 

Arctomys  flaviventer  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien. 
Phila.,  1841,  p.  99.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  106. 


292  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

13  Specimens:  7  Ramshaw  Meadows,  6  Big  Cottonwood 
Meadows,  Mount  Whitney. 

In  the  high  Sierras,  near  Mount  Whitney,  this  marmot  was 
abundant  in  the  Boreal  Zone  from  the  upper  edge  of  the  Tran- 
sition to  timber-line.  Their  burrows  are  usually  placed  in  loose 
piles  of  boulders  of  such  gigantic  size  that  no  bear  or  other 
enemy  can  roll  them  aside  or  displace  them.  These  retreats  are 
close  to  meadows  where  vegetation  is  abundant  and  where  only 
a  short  retreat  is  necessary  to  regain  their  burrows.  The  feeding 
is  usually  done  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  but  the  meadow  is  not 
entered  until  a  careful  inspection  of  the  vicinity  has  been  made 
from  the  highest  rock  pile  near  the  burrow.  The  animals 
usually  live  in  colonies,  and  a  few  remain  on  guard  while  the 
others  feed  in  the  adjacent  meadows.  When  danger  is  dis- 
covered a  sharp  whistle  is  given,  which  is  answered  by  all  the 
other  sentinels  and  the  feeders  in  the  meadow,  as  soon  as  they 
discover  the  source  of  the  danger  move  in  a  waddle  as  rapidly 
as  possible  toward  the  rocks  for  safety.  Out  in  the  meadow, 
accessory  burrows  are  dug  which  are  used  as  temporary  retreats 
if  the  danger  is  such  that  they  have  not  time  to  reach  the  home 
burrow.  After  the  marmots  have  appeased  their  hunger  they 
usually  retire  to  the  pinnacle  of  some  rock  pile  and  bask  in 
the  sun. 

In  the  Mount  Whitney  region  they  usually  begin  to  hibernate 
late  in  October,  and  appear  again  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  but 
their  hibernation  is  regulated  largely  by  the  altitude  they 
inhabit." 

FAM.    MURID.F. 

MUS. 
Mus  musculus. 

Mus  musculus  Linn.,  Syst.  Nat.,  x  ed.,  175S,  1,  p.  62.    Elliot, 

Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  108. 

2  Specimens:   1  Daggett,  1  Lone  Pine. 

ONYCHOMYS. 
Onychomys  pulcher. 

Onychomys  pulcher  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903, 
p.  243.     Zoology. 

13  Specimens:  6  Morongo  Pass,  1  Burns  Canon,  1  Warren's 
Well,  1  Daggett,  1  Lane's  Mill,  2  Coso  Mountains,  1  Lone  Pine. 

"On  soil  composed  of  coarse  sand  derived  from  decomposed 
granite  seems  to  be  the  favorite  situations  for  this  genus.     This 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.     293 

species  in  Morongo  Valley  was  found  on  the  sides  of  canons  in 
granite  sand,  but  on  the  Mohave  Desert  they  frequented  level 
plains  or  valleys  amid  tree  yuccas  or  about  the  dry  washes  of 
stream  beds." 

Peromyscus  leucopus  deserticola. 

Peromyscus  1.  deserticola  Mearns,  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Xat.  Hist., 
1890,  p.  285.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  125. 

112  Examples:  5  Palm  Springs,  2  Whitewater,  12  Morongo 
Pass,  3  Banning,  2  Warren's  Well,  1  Burns  Cation,  1  Victor, 
7  Oro  Grande,  7  Coal  Kilns,  17  Hannopee  Canon,  1  Wild  Rose 
Springs,  Panamint  Mountains,  13  Hot  Springs,  3  Monache 
Meadows,  1  Whitney  Meadows,  1  Whitney  Creek,  8  Big  Cotton- 
wood Meadows,  2  Coso  Mountains,  14  Inyo  Mountains,  12  Lone 
Pine. 

"An  abundant  race  from  the  lowest  part  of  the  desert  to 
the  highest  parts  of  the  Sierras  where  it  was  secured  at  timber- 
line.  On  the  desert  this  race  occurs  usually  only  about 
streams  and  wet  meadows." 

I  refer  all  the  specimens  in  this  series  to  the  present  sub- 
species after  critical  examination  and  comparison  with  topotypes. 
It  appears  to  range  as  widely  as  does  its  darker  relative,  P.  tluir- 
bcri,  in  Lower  California,  Mexico,  and  in  the  extreme  southern 
part  of  California,  affecting  the  hot  deserts  and  cold  mountain 
summits,  apparently  indifferent  to  temperature,  bearing  its 
extremes  equally  well.  Some  old  individuals  have  an  entire 
rich  ochraceous  pelage,  very  conspicuous  among  the  paler 
specimens,  but  these  are  not  confined  to  one  localitv,  but  come 
from  the  desert  at  Palm  Springs,  on  the  Morongo  Pass  at  Ban- 
ning, and  in  the  high  mountains  at  Hot  Springs  in  the  Pana- 
mints,  and  this  dress  cannot  be  considered  seasonal,  for  some 
were  taken  in  February,  others  in  July,  and  therefore  probably 
it  is  due  to  age.  As  is  natural  in  a  series  as  large  as  this  there 
is  considerable  variation  in  the  coloring  of  the  specimens,  and 
some  approach  in  appearance  to  P.  t.  gambeli,  but  none  is  as 
dark  as  that  mouse.  It  is  a  pale,  widely  dispersed,  somewhat 
variable  form,  but  possessing  characteristics  that  cause  it  to  be 
fairly  recognizable  at  almost  all  ages. 

Peromyscus  parasiticus. 

Peromyscus  parasiticus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  111, 
1903,  p.  244.     Zoology. 


294  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  HI. 

6  Examples  from  Lone  Pine. 

"At  the  base  of  the  Sierras,  near  Lone  Pine,  this  form  was 
secured  about  brushy  areas  bordering  streams,  and  usually 
occupying  deserted  nests  of  Ncotoma  fuscipes  dispar." 

Peromyscus  eremicus. 

Peromyscus  eremicus  Baird,  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1857,  p.  479. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  136. 

72  Specimens:  16  Palm  Springs,  8  Whitewater,  it  Morongo 
Pass,  2  Warren's  Well,  2  Burns  Canon,  2  Oro  Grande,  1  Daggett, 

5  Furnace  Creek,  Death  Valley,  4  Fort  Tejon,  4  Bailey's  Ranch, 
9  Canada  de  las  Uvas,  4  Neenach,  4  Mt.  Pinos. 

In  the  low,  sandy  parts  of  the  desert  this  mouse  occurs  abun- 
dantly, ranging  to  an  altitude  of  5,000  feet,  or  slightly  higher 
in  suitable  localities.  The  distribution  of  the  creosote  bush 
coincides  fairly  well  with  the  distribution  of  this  mouse."  The 
five  Death  Valley  examples  are  included  with  the  others  of  this 
species  with  some  hesitation,  as  their  tails  are  much  shorter, 
99-  103. 

Peromyscus  petraeus. 

Peromyscus  petraeus  (misprinted  petraius.)  Elliot,  Pub.  Field 
Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903,  p.  244.     Zoology. 

68  Examples:  7  Palm  Springs,  2  Morongo  Pass,  4  Victor, 
11  Oro  Grande,  1  Daggett,  5  Copper  City,  7  Lone  Willow  Spring, 

6  Wild   Rose  Spring,   5   Hannopee  Canon,    1    Emigrant  Spring, 
1  Coal  Kilns,  2  Coso  Mountains,  9  Inyo  Mountains,   7   Lone  Pine. 

"An  abundant  animal  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  desert  and 
on  the  flanks  of  the  mountains  in  the  same  region.  The  species 
usually  occurs  on  rocky  mesas  and  hillsides,  or  in  boulder-strewn 
creek  beds,  seldom  on  open,  sandy  flats.  On  the  Panamint 
Mountains  they  were  found  from  5,000  to  9,000  feet,  usually  in 
areas  covered  by  sage-brush,  Artcmcsia  tridentata.  In  the  Inyo 
Range  they  were  not  found  above  6,000  feet.  On  the  east 
slope  of  the  Sierras  in  Owens  Valley  and  on  the  Coso  Mountains 
they  were  common  in  sage-brush  thickets." 

Peromyscus  montipinoris. 

Peromyscus  montipinoris  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in, 
1904,  p.  264. 

3  Specimens:     1  Lockwood  Valley,  Mt.  Pinos,  2  Fort  Tejon. 
"A  rather  rare  species  in  the  mountains." 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    295 

Peromyscus  lasius. 

Peromyscus  lasius  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1904, 
p.  265. 

32  Specimens:  17  Hannopee  Canon,  3  Coal  Kilns,  Panamint 
Mountains,  12  summit  of  the  Inyo  Mountains  east  of  Lone  Pine. 

"This  species  was  first  secured  in  the  Panamint  Mountains, 
where  it  occurred  from  6,000  to  10,000  feet,  practically  the 
Coniferous  Belt  of  the  range.  The  seeds  of  the  juniper  formed 
a  large  proportion  of  its  food.  In  the  willow  growths  about 
springs  it  was  especially  common.  On  the  Inyo  Range  it  was 
found  on  the  summit  down  to  about  8,000  feet,  or  the  lower 
limit  of  the  limber  pines." 

RHITHRODONTOMYS. 

Rhithrodontomys  megalotis. 

Rhithrodontomys  megalotis  Baird,  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1857, 
p.  451.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  151. 

17  Specimens:  12  Lone  Pine,  3  Fort  Tejon,  1  Bailey's  Ranch, 
1  Mt.  Pinos. 

"This  Harvest  Mouse  was  abundant  in  Owens  River  and  the 
creeks  along  the  east  slope  of  the  Sierras.  Also  the  meadows 
and  creek  banks  near  Fort  Tejon  and  the  headwaters  of  Piru 
Creek  supported  numbers  of  this  species."  It  also  was  found 
in  Lockwood  Valley  on  Mount  Pinos. 

Rhithrodontomys  longicaudus  pallidus. 

Rhithrodontomys  1.  pallidus  Rhoads,  Am.  Nat.,  1893,  p.  835. 
9  Specimens  from  Oro  Grande. 

"The  grassy  meadows  bordering  the  Mohave  River  near  Oro 
Grande  were  favorite  places  for  this  Harvest  Mouse." 

NEOTOMA. 
Neotoma  fuscipes  macrotis. 

Neotoma  L  macrotis  Thomas,  Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  6th  Ser., 
xii,  1893,  p.  234.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1903,  p.  234. 

1  Specimen  from  Whitewater. 

Of  this  example  Mr.  Heller  states  it  was  secured  from  a  nest 
in  a  clump  of  yuccas,  and  was  apparently  a  stray  individual 
from  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains.  It  is  an  old  female  with 
quite  red  pelage. 


296  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

Neotoma  fuscipes  mohavensis. 

Neotoma  f.  mohavensis  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in, 
[903,  p.  246.      Zoology. 

7  Specimens  from  Oro  Grande. 

This  new  form  of  wood  rat  was  procured  at  only  one  locality, 
"in  the  thickets  bordering  the  Mohave  River  at  Oro  Grande," 
where  were  also  found  the  large  nests.  The  river  sinks  in  sum- 
mer beyond  this  point  and  the  willows  and  rat  nests  cease  a  few 
miles  lower  down  the  stream.  At  the  headwaters  of  the  Mohave 
in  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains  this  race  meets  N.  f.  macrotis 
of  the  Coast  Slope. 

Neotoma  fuscipes  dispar. 

Neotoma  f.  dispar  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1894,  p.  124. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  160. 

11  Specimens:      10  Lone  Pine  (topotypes),  1  Mount  Whitney. 

This  race  was  apparently  scarce,  for  it  was  met  with  in  only  the 
two  places  named  above,  and  the  individual  from  Mount  Whitney 
was  a  young  one  only  about  half  grown,  agreeing  completely, 
however,  with  one  of  about  the  same  age  from  Lone  Pine. 
Mr.  Heller  states  that  "along  the  streams  of  the  east  slope  of  the 
Sierras  and  at  Lone  Pine  the  nests  of  this  wood  rat  were  not 
common.  Their  usual  situation  was  in  thickets  of  wild  roses 
or  willows  near  streams.  The  animal  probably  ascends  the 
streams  to  the  Transition  Zone.  None  were  observed  below 
Lone  Pine  in  the  bed  of  Owens  River." 

Neotoma  fuscipes  cnemophila. 

Neotoma  f.  cnemophila  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in. 
1904,  p.  267. 

8  Specimens:  5  Lockwood  Valley,  Mount  Pinos  (type  and 
topotypes),  1  Castac  Lake,  1  Bailey's  Ranch,  1  Fort  Tejon. 

"In  the  mountains  near  Fort  Tejon  this  wood  rat  was  abun- 
dant. The  nests  were  usually  of  large  proportions,  and  con- 
structed in  oak  chaparral  or  in  the  thorny  thickets  of  Kibes. 
About  Lockwood  Valley  on  the  south  slope  of  Mt.  Pinos  the 
nests  were  placed  at  the  bases  of  tlie  pifion  pines,  the  nuts  of 
which  form  an  important  food  supply  for  the  rats.  A  few  imma- 
ture were  secured  at  8,000  feet  altitude  on  Kern  River  (but  not 
preserved),  and  this  evidently  represents  the  upper  limit  of 
their  range." 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    297 

Neotoma  desertorum. 

Neotoma  desertorum  Merr..  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1894. 
p.  125.     Elliot,  Svn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  iqoi.  pp.  161,  42g. 

3g  Specimens:  3  Copper  City,  5  Lone  Willow  Spring,  g  Fur- 
nace Creek,  Death  Valley  (topotypes),  6  Hannopee  Canon, 
3  Coal  Kilns,  Panamint  Mountains;  2  Coso  Mountains,  5  Bever- 
idge  Canon,  and  3  at  summit  of  Inyo  Mountains  east  of  Lone 
Pine,  3  Lone  Pine. 

In  the  Synopsis,  page  42g,  I  mentioned  the  statement  of 
Mr.  Bangs  that  Mr.  G.  S.  Miller,  Jr.,  had  examined  the  type  of 
N.  lepida  Thomas,  and  was  of  the  opinion  that  that  species  and 
desertorum  were  the  same.  If  Mr.  Miller  had  compared  specimens 
of  desertorum  and  lepida,  it  would  have  been  more  satisfactory, 
for  it  is  very  difficult  to  carry  in  qne's  mind  the  appearance  of  a 
Neotoma,  or  indeed  that  of  any  animal  not  particularly  con- 
spicuous, sufficiently  well  to  determine  its  identity;  and  as 
Mr.  Miller  merely  states  it  is  his  opinion,  it  would  seem  wise 
before  making  desertorum  a  synonym  of  lepida,  to  wait  until  the 
two  can  be  brought  together.  A  description  alone  is  a  very 
unsatisfactory  medium  upon  which  to  decide  the  status  of  these 
wood  rats,  and  Mr.  Thomas's  measurements  of  his  species  proves 
that  it  is  a  smaller  animal  than  desertorum,  although  an  average 
of  several  specimens  might  show  there  is  not  much  difference  in 
size  between  them.  Mr.  Thomas's  description  is  perplexing 
also  in  certain  points,  as  when  he  says  the  tail  is  "thickly  haired," 
causing  a  doubt  as  to  whether  it  is  a  Neotoma  or  Teouoma. 
While  desertorum  has  a  hairy  tail,  there  is  no  doubt  it  belongs  to 
Neotoma.  Under  the  circumstances,  therefore,  it  seems  best,  for 
the  present  at  least,  to  retain  the  name  given  by  Dr.  Merriam  to 
the  species.  Mr.  Heller  states  that  this  "is  an  abundant  species 
on  the  desert,  ranging  from  the  lowest  valleys  to  the  summits  of 
the  highest  desert  ranges.  On  the  Panamint  Mountains  they 
were  taken  up  to  9,000  feet,  which  elevation  also  marked  their 
upper  limit  on  the  Inyo  Mountains.  The  extreme  upper  limit 
of  the  pinon  pine  coincides  with  the  upper  limit  of  their  range. 
The  nest  is  unusually  small,  and  composed  of  sticks,  brush. 
cacti,  etc.,  piled  in  the  crevices  between  rocks,  or  more  rarely  in 
thorny  vegetation." 

Neotoma  desertorum  sola. 

Neotoma  d.  sola  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  i8g4,  p.  126. 
Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  igoi,  p.  161. 


298  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

17  Examples:  16  Mouth  of  the  Canada  de  las  Uvas,  1  Castac 
Lake. 

"This  race  was  found  occupying  a  narrow  belt  on  the 
border  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  near  Fort  Tejon.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Canada  de  las  Uvas  they  occurred  at  the  lower 
edge  of  the  .Oak  Belt,  the  nests  being  placed  among  loose  rocks 
on  hillsides  and  the  walls  of  canons.  They  occupied  a  belt 
covering  only  300  or  400  vertical  feet." 

Neotoma  intermedia  gilva. 

Neotoma  i.  gilva  Rhoads,  Am.  Nat.,  xxvin,  1894,  p.  70. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  162. 

10  Specimens  from  Whitewater. 

While  resembling  N.  intermedia  rather  closely,  the  present 
race  can  be  distinguished  by  its  much  paler  tail.  The  examples 
were  procured  by  Mr.  Heller  not  far  from  the  type  locality,  and 
may  almost  be  regarded  as  topotypes.  Of  this  race  Mr.  Heller 
says  that  ' '  about  Whitewater  and  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
San  Bernardino  Mountains  this  form  was  found  commonly  in 
nests  placed  in  clumps  of  small  tree-yuccas,  Yueca  mohavensis. 
About  Burns  Canon  they  occurred  as  high  as  6,500  feet." 

Neotoma  intermedia  bella. 

Neotoma  i.  bella  Bangs,  Proc.  N.  Eng.  Zool.  Club,  1899,  p.  66. 

25  Specimens:  11  Palm  Springs  (topotypes),  2  Whitewater, 
6  Morongo  Pass,  1  Burns  Canon,  1  Old  Woman's  Spring,  4  Oro 
Grande. 

TEONOMA. 
Teonoma  cinerea  acraea. 

Teonoma  c.  acraea  (misprinted  acraia),  Elliot,  Pub.  Field 
Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903,  p.  247. 

7  Specimens:  3  Hot  Springs  (type  and  topotypes),  1  Big 
Cottonwood  Meadows,  1  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes,  Mount  Whitney; 
2  Summit  of  the  Inyo  Mountains  east  of  Lone  Pine. 

This  seems  to  be  a  rather  rare  animal  in  the  localities  in  which 
it  was  met,  which  fact  accounts  for  the  small  number  of  speci- 
mens obtained,  and  it  evidently  inhabits  only  the  higher  parts 
of  the  mountains,  being  indeed  an  alpine  form.  Mr.  Heller 
states  that  "it  was  not  common  about  Mount  Whitney,  where  it 
was  found  from  8,000  feet  elevation  to  timber-line.  About  Big 
Cottonwood  Lakes  it  was  fairly  numerous  among  granite  boul- 
ders, where  it  lived  in  the  crevices,  no  attempt  at  nest-building 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    299 

being  apparent.     On  the  summit  of  the  Inyo  Mountains  down 
to  the  limits  of  the  limber  pine,  8,000  feet,  it  occurred  sparingly." 

M1CROTUS. 
Microtus  dutcheri. 

Microtus  dutcheri  Bailey,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1898,  p.  85. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  185. 

46  Specimens:  6  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows  (topotypes), 
3  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes,  17  Whitney  Meadows,  15  Whitney 
Creek,  5  Hot  Springs. 

"In  the  broad  zones  of  the  Sierras  this  is  a  very  common 
mammal.  It  was  found  in  every  meadow,  from  those  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  Transition  Zone  to  the  Alpine  ones  above 
timber-line  at  12,000  feet.  The  surface  runways  and  tunnels 
were  usuallv  constructed  about  the  clumps  of  dwarf  willows 
growing  in  the  meadows.  In  habits  they  were  more  diurnal 
than  nocturnal  at  high  altitudes."  This  species  is  conspicuous 
for  its  short  tail,  considering  its  rather  large  size,  and  the 
uniformity  of  the  coloring  in  a  fairly  large  series,  only  occa- 
sionally a  reddish  one  being  observed. 

Microtus  californicus. 

Arvicola  californicus  Peale,  U.  S.  Expl.  Exp.  Mamm.,  1848, 
p.  46. 

Microtus  californicus  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  186. 

21  Examples:  5  Fort  Tejon,  11  Bailey's  Ranch,  near  Fort 
Tejon;  5  Oro  Grande. 

"About  the  swamps  near  Fort  Tejon  and  near  the  headwaters 
of  Piru  Creek,  Bailey's  Ranch,  the  California  meadow  mouse  was 
abundant.  The  species  also  invades  the  desert,  following  the 
vallev  of  the  Mohave  River  as  far  as  Oro  Grande,  or  to  the  limit 
of  damp  meadows." 

Microtus  californicus  vallicola. 

Microtus  c.  vallicola  Bailey,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1898, 
p.  S9.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  186. 

24  Specimens  from  Lone  Pine  (topotypes). 

"In  Owens  Valley  this  species  occurs  abundantly  along  the 
river  and  about  the  streams  as  high  as  the  Transition  Zone." 

Microtus  mordax. 

Microtus  mordax  Merr.,  N.  Am.    Faun.,   No.    5,    1891,   p.    61. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  191. 
1  Specimen  Hot  Springs,  Mount  Whitney, 


300  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

I  refer  this  example  to  tins  species,  and  it  is  the  only  one 
preserved  by  Mr.  Heller  in  this  region.  He  writes  that  it  was 
"a  rather  rare  species  in  the  Sierras,  where  it  was  found  from 
cS.ooo  to  12.000  feet  elevation,  or  from  the  upper  edge  of  the 
Transition  to  the  Alpine  Zone  above  timber-line." 

THOMOMYS. 

Thomomys  operarius. 

Thomomys  operarius  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soe.  Wash.,  1S97, 
p.  215.      Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Maram,,  1901,  p.  223. 

14  Examples  from  Keeler  (topotypes). 

"At  Keeler  this  gopher  is  abundant  on  the  borders  of  Owens 
Lake  in  moist  soil  supporting  a  heavy  growth  of  salt-grass. 
The  species  is  apparently  restricted  to  this  narrow  zone  which 
bounds  the  lake." 

Thomomys  fulvus. 

Thomomys  fulvus  Woodhouse,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil.,- 
1852,  p.  201.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  227. 

4  Specimens:  1  Fort  Tejon,  2  Bailey's  Ranch,  1  north  of 
Canada  de  las  Uvas. 

"The  moist  borders  of  creeks  near  Fort  Tejon  and  about 
Mt.  Pinos  are  dotted  with  the  mounds  of  this  species.  The 
badgers  have  hunted  it  so  persistently  in  this  region  that  it  has 
become  a  very  wary  animal." 

Thomomys  perpallidus. 

Thomomvs  talpoides  perpallidus  Merr.,  Science,  vui,  1886, 
p.  588. 

Thomomys  perpallidus  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901, 
p.  229. 

23  Specimens:  11  Palm  Springs,  1  Whitewater,  1  Morongo 
Pass,  1  Warren's  Well,  6  Oro  Grande,  2  Daggett,  1  Copper  City. 

"In  the  irrigated  fields  at  Palm  Springs  the  desert  gopher 
was  abundant.  Farther  north  on  the  Mohave  River  it  was 
again  met  with  about  fields  and  along  irrigating  ditches  at  Oro 
Grande  and  Daggett." 

Thomomys  cabazonae. 

Thomomys cabazonae Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash..  1901,  p.  no. 

10  Specimens:     7  Whitewater,  3  Banning  (topotypes). 

This  seems  to  be  the  form  common  in  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass, 
and  at  the  limit  of  its  eastern  range  at  Whitewater  it  overlaps 
that  of  T.  perpallidus. 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    301 

Thomomys  alpinus. 

Thomomys  alpinus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1897,  p.  216. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  rqoT,  p.  229. 

17  Examples,  Mount  Whitney  region:  10  Big  Cottonwood 
Meadows  (topotypes),  3  Ramshaw  Meadows,  3  Hot  Springs, 
Long  Canon,  1  Whitney  Meadows. 

Misled  by  his  specimens,  Dr.  Merriam  says  this  species  is 
"rather  small,"  and  gives  a  total  length  of  228  millimeters, 
when  in  fact  it  is  a  large  species,  attaining  a  total  length  of  27c 
millimeters,  and  is  exceeded  in  size  by  only  a  few  of  the  known 
species  of  the  genus.  "In  the  Boreal  Zone  of  the  Sierras  it 
occurs  abundantly  in  the  heavy  black  loam  of  the  wet  meadows, 
and  was  taken  from  8,000  feet  elevation  to  the  meadows  above 
timberdine  in  the  Alpine  Zone.  At  timberdine  the  mounds 
were  usually  placed  on  dry  gravelly  hillsides." 

Thomomys  scapterus. 

Thomomys  scapterus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  111, 
1903,  p.  248. 

5  Specimens:  3  Hannopee  Canon  (type  and  topotypes),  2  Coal 
Kilns,  Panamint  Mountains. 

In  the  description  of  this  form  I  gave  the  geographical  dis- 
tribution as  the  Panamint,  Coso,  and  Inyo  Mountains.  Having 
examined  and  compared  the  examples  since  the  publication  of 
my  paper,  1  am  satisfied  that  the  Coso  and  Inyo  Mountain 
specimens  should  be  referred  to  T.  a.  per  pes,  thus  restricting 
T.  scapterus  to  the  Panamints. 

Thomomys  aureus  perpes. 

Thomomys  a.  perpes  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  iyoi ,  p.  1 1 1. 

17  Examples:  1  Coso  Mountains,  1  Summit  of  the  Inyo 
Mountains  east  of  Lone  Pine  15  Lone  Pine  (topotvpes). 

This  rather  pale  gopher  was  "abundant  along  the  streams  of 
the  east  slope  of  the  Sierras  in  Owens  Valley.  About  the  shores 
of  Owens  Lake  it  meets  T .  operarius,  and  somewhere  in  the 
Transition  Zone  T.  alpinus  of  the  high  Sierras."  No  specimens, 
however,  were  taken  either  in  the  Mount  Whitney  Region  or  in 
the  Panamint  Mountains,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  it  is 
not  to  be  found  to  the  eastward  of  the  Coso'and  Invo  Mountains. 


302  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

FAM.    HETERQMY]  DM. 
Sub.   Fam.   Dipodomyin^e. 
DIPODOMYS. 
Dipodomys  merriami  nitratus. 

Dipodomvs  m.  nitratus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.   Soc.   Wash.,    il 
p.  112.      Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  233. 

16  Examples:     6  Keeler  (topotypes),  10  Lone  Pine. 

"The  sand  dunes  near  Owens  Lake  in  the  vicinity  of  Keeler 
were  perforated  with  the  tunnels  of  this  local  form.  As  the 
animal  recedes  from  the  hot  sandy  shores  of  the  lake,  it  becomes 
less  reddish,  and  it  is  evident  that  the  typical  form  does  not 
extend  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  the  shore  line." 
Most  of  the  mammals  from  this  locality  are  characterized  bv 
greater  depth  of  coloring  than  those  from  elsewhere,  and  speci- 
mens from  Keeler  or  the  lake  are  much  richer  in  hue  than  speci- 
mens of  the  same  species  taken  at  a  distance.  These  animals  from 
the  Owens  Lake  region  exhibit  in  a  striking  degree  the  effects  of 
environment  upon  color,  and  local  varieties  are  produced,  though 
without  doubt  the  individuals  are  specifically  the  same  as  those 
living  twenty  miles  away  and  which  have  a  less  ornate  dress.  But 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  day  these  variations  must  be 
dignified  with  a  separate  name,  and  they  are  in  fact  more  easily 
recognizable  among  other  specimens  of  the  genus  than  man}'  a 
one  bearing  a  subspecific  appellation,  but  which  unhappily  has 
no  especial  coloration  to  separate  it  from  its  fellows.  In  such 
cases  faith  has  much  to  do  with  the  determination.  Some  of 
the  Lone  Pine  specimens  are  considerably  paler  than  those  from 
Keeler. 

Dipodomys  merriami  simiolus. 

Dipodomvs  m.  simiolus  Rhoads,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil., 
1893,  p.  410.      Elliot,  Syn.  Am.  Mamm.,  iqoi,  p.  234. 

Dipodomys  m.  similis  Rhoads,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil., 
1893,  p.  411.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  234. 

54  Specimens:  20  Palm  Springs  (topotypes  of  IK  m.  simiolus), 
12  Whitewater  (topotypes  of  D.  m.  similis),  6  Morongo  Pass, 
4  Burns  Canon,  1  Warren's  Well,  3  Old  Woman's  Spring,  2  Oro 
Grande,  1  Calico  Mountains,  5  Daggett. 

With  so  manv  topotvpes  of  D.  m.  simiolus  and  D.  m.  similis 
from  Palm  Springs   (xVgua  Caliente)   and  Whitewater,   I  do  not 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    303 

hesitate  to  place  the  latter  name  as  a  synonym  of  the  former,  for 
I  cannot  perceive  the  slightest  difference,  either  in  external 
appearance  or  cranial  characters,  between  them.  In  the  volume 
of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  for  1893  both 
names  appear,  simiolus  on  page  410,  and  similis  on  page  411, 
thus  giving  the  priority  to  simiolus.  In  Miller  &  Rehn's  List  it 
is  stated  that  similis  was  published  on  January  27,  1894,  and 
simiolus  on  Januarv  30,  1894.  This,  of  course,  must  have  hap- 
pened by  the  issue  of  independent  leaflets  to  a  few  persons,  but 
if  one  is  to  abide  by  the  volume  issued  by  the  Academy  and 
which  is  the  Official  Publication,  the  name  simiolus  must  take 
precedence.  The  species  appears  to  be  an  abundant  one  in  the 
localities  it  frequents,  and  is  found  throughout  the  southern 
part  of  the  Mohave  Desert  visited  by  Mr.  Heller,  to  the  vicinity 
of  Daggett,  north  of  which  it  does  not  seem  to  go.  for  no  Dipodo- 
mys  was  met  with  until  Ballarat  was  reached,  near  Death  Valley, 
where  the  next  race  was  found.  In  Mr.  Heller's  notes  of  this 
race,  the  following  account  is  given:  "An  abundant  anjmal 
throughout  the  Colorado  and  the  southern  portion  of  the 
Mohave  Desert,  from  the  lowest  valleys  to  the  middle  limits  of 
the  Upper  Sonoran  Zone.  This  is  the  most  abundant  and  wide- 
spread mammal  of  the  desert,  in  which  region  it  forms  a  large 
part  of  the  food  of  the  snakes,  owls,  carnivora,  and  Indians.  In 
the  lowest  and  hottest  valleys  it  is  less  common  than  D.  deserti. 
The  burrows,  which  are  few  in  number,  are  usually  situated  in 
sandy  flats  or  gravelly  mesas,  often  at  the  bases  of  spiny  or 
thorny  bushes,  where  they  cannot  be  easily  dug  out  by  the 
larger  carnivora.  About  the  eastern  end  of  San  Gorgonio  Pass 
they  are  abundant,  but  do  not  extend  so  far  into  the  pass  as  the 
summit,  apparently  not  ranging  much  farther  east  than  White- 
water or  Cabezon.  On  the  eastern  slope  of  the  San  Bernardino 
Range  they  ascend  above  6,000  feet. 

Dipodomys  merriami  mortivallis. 

Dipodomys  m.  mortivallis  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in, 
1903,  p.  250.      Zoology. 

7  Furnace  Creek,  Death  Valley;  1  Ballarat. 

"In  Death  Valley  this  form  was  not  abundant,  owing  appar- 
ently to  the  salinity  of  the  soil.  Above  the  valley  on  gravelly 
mesas  it  occurred  more  commonly,  and  was  also  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  Ballarat  in  Panamint  Valley.  The  range  of  this  race 
does  not  seem  to  overlap  that  of  Perodipus  panamintinus ,  which 


304  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology, -Vol.  TTL 

checks  its  vertical  range  at  about  4,000  feet,  the  lower  limit  of 
the  rive-toed  species.  South  of  the  range  of  Perodipus  pana- 
mi  11  tin  its  the  allied  D.  m.  simiolus  ranges  up  to  6,000  feet,  where 
it  enters  the  lower  edge  of  the  Pirion  Zone." 

Dipodomys  deserti. 

Dipodomys  deserti  Steph..  Amer.  Nat.,  xxi,  1881.  p.  42.  Elliot, 
Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  235. 

40  Examples:  4  Palm  Springs,  27  Daggett,  2  Ballarat,  7  Fur- 
nace Creek,  Death  Valley. 

At  Daggett,  where  most  of  the  specimens  were  taken,  this 
species  was  ''abundant  in  the  white  sand  area  of  the  river  bed 
to  which  it  is  confined.  In  Death  Valley  it  was  abundant 
everywhere  about  sandy  soil  and  mesquite  vegetation.  Known 
locally  as  the  mesquite-rat  on  account  of  the  large  quantity  of 
mesquite-pods  they  store  away  in  underground  cavities.  The 
Indians  often  dig  open  the  burrows  and  gather  their  supply  of 
pods  from  the  rats,  from  which,  after  being  ground  into  a  flour, 
a  vellowish  bread  is  made." 

Dipodomys  deserti  helleri. 

Dipodomys  d.  helleri  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus..  in.  1903, 
p.  249. 

6  Specimens  from  Keeler. 

A  richly  colored  race,  similar  in  hue  to  D.  m.  nitraius,  which 
was  "common  in  the  sand  dunes  a  little  beyond  the  margin  of 
the  grass,  and  evidently  confined  to  a  zone  about  the  lake." 

PERODIPUS. 
Perodipus  agilis. 

Perodipus  agilis  Gambel,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil.,  1848, 
p.  77.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm..  1901,  p.  236. 

15  Specimens:  1  Banning,  1  Fort  Tejon,  2  Bailey's  Ranch, 
8  Castac  Lake,  3  Lockwood  Valley,  Mount  Pinos. 

"This  species  extends  as  far  east  as  the  summit  of  San  Gorgonio 
Pass,  where  it  was  found  near  Banning,  and  the  burrows  were 
seen  near  Beaumont  at  the  summit.  In  the  Mount  Pinos  region 
it  was  common  in  the  valleys  and  ravines,  as  high  as  the  lower 
limit  of  the  black  pines  or  up  to  6.000  feet  altitude.  They  cross 
the  Tehachapi  Mountains  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Tejon,  where 
thev  were  found  from  the  edge  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  east- 
ward through  the  pass  to  Antelope  Valley." 


March,  [904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    305 

Perodipus  agilis  streatori. 

Perodipus  streatori  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1894,  p.  113. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  in,  1Q03,  p.  237. 

10  Specimens:  2  North  of  Canada  de  las  Uvas,  3  Rose  Sta- 
tion, 5  Neenach. 

'■An  abundant  race  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  in  grain-fields 
near  Rose  Station  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canada  de  las  Uvas.  At 
the  western  base  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains  they  become 
smaller  and  darker,  grading  into  P.  agilis."  In  view  of  the  fact 
just  stated,  it  would  seem  that  the  proper  status  of  this  rat 
should  be  a  subspecihc  one,  instead  of  considering  it  entitled  to 
specific  rank  as  originally  described. 

Perodipus  panamintinus. 

Perodipus  panamintinus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1894, 
p.  114. 

18  Specimens:  12  Wild  Rose  Spring,  Panamint  Mountains, 
3  Coso  Mountains,  3  Lone  Pine. 

In  color  this  form  so  nearly  resembles  P.  streatori  that  it  is 
difficult  to  distinguish  them  apart,  but  it  has  a  shorter  tail  in 
the  adult,  and  somewhat  smaller  measurements  generally. 
"The  stonv  mesas  and  creek  washes  on  Telescope  Peak  in  the 
Panamint  Range  were  covered  with  the  burrows  of  this  rat. 
Their  vertical  range  extended  from  4,000  to  6,500  feet,  which  in 
this  region  coincided  with  that  of  Coleogyne,  which  forms  a 
nearly  pure  growth  at  this  altitude.  The  burrows  were  very 
numerous,  a  single  rot  usually  living  in  a  nest  having  a  dozen 
or  more  tunnels,  the  mouths  of  which  are  connected  on  the 
surface  by  well-defined  runways.  In  Coso  Valley  this  form  was 
again  met  in  the  Artemesia  and  Coleogyne  vegetation.  About 
Lone  Pine  it  was  fairly  common  at  the  base  of  the  Sierras  in 
Artemesia  brush  and  in  gram-fields.  Much  to  my  surprise  the 
species  was  not  found  on  the  Inyo  Range  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley,  both  slopes  of  which  were  explored." 

Sir,.    Fam.    Hkteromvix.k. 
PEROGNATHUS. 

Perognathus  panamintinus. 

Perognathus  longimembris  panamintinus  Merr.,  Proc.  Acad. 
Nat.  Scien.  Phil.,  1894,  p.  265. 

Perognathus  panamintinus  Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901, 
P-  -45- 


306  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

10  Specimens  from  Wild  Rose  Spring,  Panamint  Valley. 

"The  gravelly  mesas  near  Wild  Rose  Spring,  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Panamint  Range,  supported  large  numbers  of  this 
pocket-mouse,  which  here  outnumbered  all  other  mammals  in 
abundance.  The  range  extended  to  the  lower  edge  of  the 
Juniper  Belt,  6,500  feet,  and  down  the  eastern  slope  to  about 
4,000  feet,  the  species  not  occurring  apparently  in  Death  Valley. 
On  the  western  slope  of  the  range  it  descends  to  Panamint  Valley, 
where  it  is  fairly  common." 

Perognathus  panamintinus  bangsi. 

Perognathus  p.  bangsi  Mearns,  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist  . 
1898,  p.  300. 

43  Specimens:  1  Castac  Lake,  1  Bailey's  Ranch,  9  Oro 
Grande,  5  Daggett,  3  Calico  Mountains,  12  Copper  City,  9  Lane's 
Mill,  3  Ballarat. 

This  race  so  closely  resembles  the  preceding  species  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  distinguish  one  from  the  other.  Mr. 
Osgood  (N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  18,  p.  2q)  says,  "a  convenient 
character  to  distinguish  them  is  the  color  of  the  upper  side  of 
the  tail,  which  is  normally  dusky  in  panamintinus  and  buffy  in 
bangsi."  Perhaps  for  many  examples  this  rule  will  answer  as 
well  as  any  other,  but  there  are  a  number  of  specimens  which 
have  dark  tails  from  the  same  locality  as  those  having  buff  tails, 
and  then  it  becomes  a  good  deal  a  matter  of  guesswork,  unless 
one  is  willing  to  rely  entirely  upon  the  locality  itself  to  determine 
the  name  of  the  specimen.  Mr.  Heller  says  of  this  race  that 
"on  the  higher  part  of  the  Mohave  desert  on  gravelly  mesas 
supporting  creosote  bushes,  this  race  is  usually  common.  About 
Oro  Grande  and  Daggett  it  was  rare,  but  farther  north  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pilot  Knob  it  occurred  so  numerously  that  seventy- 
five  per  cent  of  the  traps  set  contained  this  form.  The  burrows 
were  invariably  placed  beneath  the  roots  of  creosote  bushes  in 
this  locality.  A  single  specimen  was  secured  as  far  north  as 
•  Coso  Valley.  At  Antelope  Valley  the  race  ranges  westward 
from  the  Mohave,  and  crosses  the  divide,  occurring  as  low  down 
as  Fort  Tejon,  where,  however,  it  is  rather  uncommon.  It  also 
occurs  on  the  west  slope  of  the  mountains  at  Bailey's  Ranch 
on  Piru  Creek." 

Perognathus  longimembris. 

Perognathus  longimembris  Coues,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil., 
1875,  p.  305.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  247. 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    307 

16  Specimens:  15  Rose  Station,  near  Fort  Tejon  (topo- 
types),  1  Neenach. 

"In  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  this  pocket-mouse  occurs  very 
abundantly  in  the  grass-fields  and  dry  plains.  A  few  were 
secured  at  the  base  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Canada  de  las  Uvas,  but  they  apparently  do  not  extend 
into  the  mountains  as  far  as  Fort  Tejon,  where  only  P.  p.  bangsi 
was  secured.  The  pouches  of  most  of  the  specimens  taken 
contained  the  seeds  of  alfileria,  EroJium."  The  young  adult  of 
this  species  is  of  quite  a  different  color,  and  much  darker  and 
more  olivaceous." 

Perognathus  pericalles. 

Perognathus  pericalles  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  HI, 
1903,  p.  252. 

2  Specimens  from  Keeler. 

This  beautiful  little  species  was  evidently  quite  rare,  as  the 
two  examples  secured  were  the  only  ones  seen.  It  shows  to  a 
remarkable  degree  the  influence  exerted  upon  color  that  the 
neighborhood  of  Owens  Lake  exerts  in  producing  the  rich,  deep 
cream  buff  hue  of  its  pelage.  It  was  found  among  the  sand 
dunes  at  the  edge  of  the  lake,  to  which  it  appeared  to  be 
restricted. 

Perognathus*  elibatus. 

Perognathus  elibatus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903. 
p.  252. 

9  Specimens  from  Lock  wood  Valley,  Mt.   Pinos. 

This  is  a  dark  species,  and  was  abundant  in  the  locality  in 
which  the  examples  were  taken,  at  an  elevation  of  5.500  feet, 
"on  the  eastern  slope  of  Mt.  Pinos  in  the  Pinon  Belt.  It  was 
found  on  gravelly  soil  supporting  sage-brush,  scrub-oaks,  and 
pinon  pines." 

Perognathus  monticola  olivaceus. 

Perognathus  olivaceus  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  1,  1889,  p.  15. 
Elliot,  Svn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  249. 

6  Examples  from  the  summit  of  the  Inyo  Mountains,  east  of 
Lone  Pine. 

I  refer  these  specimens  to  the  present  race,  although  they 
are   not   by   any   means   "bright   cinnamon   buff,"    as   given   by 


*rjX'./3o-<i:   the  smooth   breathing  is  misprinted  on  page  252    ^UQaznq  the 
rough  breathing. 


,308  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

Osgood,  but  olivaceous  and  black.  According  to  Mr.  Osgood's 
Monograph,  they  ought  to  be  magruderensis ,  but  great  emphasis 
is  placed  by  him  upon  the  size  of  that  race,  and  all  these  examples 
are  considerably  smaller  than  the  measurements  given,  the  largest 
Vicing,  total  length,  1S1;  tail  vertebra',  95;  hind  foot,  23,  as 
compared  with  108,  107,  26;  and  an  average  of  the  six  before 
me  would  be  much  less  than  the  dimensions  of  the  selected 
specimens  given  above.  In  color  they  agree  with  Dr.  Merriam's 
description  fairly  well.  According  to  Mr.  Heller,  this  form  was 
common  in  sage-brush  areas  on  the  summit  of  the  Invo  Moun- 
tains at  S,5oo  feet. 

Perognathus  formosus. 

Perognathus  formosus  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  1889,  p.  17.  Elliot, 
Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  250. 

71  Specimens:  8  Old  Woman's  Springs,  2  Victor,  12  Oro 
Grande,  n  Daggett,  2  Copper  City,  7  Lone  Willow  Spring,  11 
Wild  Rose  Spring,  4  Hannopee  Canon,  2  Ballarat,  12  Furnace 
Creek. 

I  refer  all  of  this  series  to  the  present  species,  as  thev  are 
all  large  individuals,  with  the  hind  foot  measuring  as  high  as 
27  millimeters,  the  average,  however,  being  probably  about  25. 
The  examples  from  Lone  Willow  Spring  are  the  largest,  averaging 
about  200  mm.  in  total  length.  The  two  specimens  from  Bal- 
larat are  of  a  reddish  color  different  from  all  the  others.  Whether 
this  is  an  individual  variation,  or  characteristic  of  this  localitv. 
cannot  be  decided,  as  no  more  examples  were  taken  at  that 
place.  Mr.  Osgood  considered  some  of  his  examples  from  the 
Panamints  to  be  magruderensis,  but  in  this  series  I  am  unable 
to  distinguish  more  than  one  form.  There  is  a  variation  in 
size,  but  this  must  be  expected  among  individuals  where  so 
much  depends  upon  the  tail  to  determine  the  total  length.  The 
hind  foot,  however,  varies  but  slightlv  in  dimensions  among 
them  all.  Mr.  Heller  writes  of  this  species  that  "throughout 
the  Mohave  Desert  this  is  the  most  abundant  and  widespread 
species  of  pocket-mouse.  In  the  Death  Valley  region  it  occurs 
from  the  floor  of  the  valley  to  a  height  of  7.500  feet  on  the 
Panamint  Mountains,  which  carries  it  to  the  lower  edge  of  the 
Pinon  Belt.  Rocky  hillsides  and  canon  walls  are  the  usual 
haunts  of  the  species." 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    309 

Perognathus  mesembrinus. 

Perognathus  mesembrinus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus., 
C903,  p.  251.     Zoology. 

13  Specimens  from  Palm  Springs. 

"At  the  base  of  the  San  Jacinto  Mountains,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Palm  Springs,  this  form  occurs  fairly  common  on  rocky  mesas 
and   about  the  mouths  of  the  canons." 

ClI.KTODIIMS. 

Perognathus  penicillatus. 

Perognathus  penicillatus  Woodhouse,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien. 
Phil.,   1852.  p.   200.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,   1901,  p.   252. 

13  Specimens:  3  Palm  Springs.  4  Whitewater,  2  Morongo 
Pass,  4  Oro  Grande. 

I  refer  these  specimens  to  the  present  species,  although  they 
are  much  less  in  their  dimensions,  the  largest  being  in  total 
length,  t 85 ;  tail,  103:  hind  foot,  23;  another  is  182,  99,  24. 
There  is  also  a  conspicuous  black  patch  at  the  base  of  the 
whiskers,  which  Mr.  Osgood  states  in  his  Monograph,  p.  46,  is 
absent  in  penicillatus.  "This  species  inhabits  the  sandy  flats 
and  drv  creek  washes  of  the  desert.  They  are  especially  abundant 
about  sand  dunes  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the  desert,  usually 
occurring  wherever  Dipodomys  deserti  is  found.  Some  were 
secured  above  3,000  feet."- 

Perognathus  stephensi. 

Perognathus  stephensi  Merr.,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil., 
1894,  ]).  267.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  igor,  p.  253. 

3  Specimens,  Mesquite  Valley,  northwest  arm  of  Death  Valley. 

Two  of  these  examples  were  taken  near  the  edge  of  the  valley 
and  appear  best  to  answer  the  description  of  the  species,  being 
a  uniform  pinkish  and  vinaeeous  buff,  which  is  said  to  be  the 
"left  over  winter  pelage."  The  one  taken  near  the  middle  of 
the  valley  is  a  deep,  rich  cream  buff,  very  much  the  same  color 
as  P.  pericalles  from  Keeler,  but  of  course  these  specimens  are 
much  larger  than  the  Keeler  examples.  I  imagine  this  cream 
buff  individual  to  be  in  the  full  summer  dress,  which  view,  if 
correct,  would  show  that  the  seasonal  pelages  are  very  different. 
The  species  is  so  very  rare,  only  two  specimens  besides  these 
examples  being  m  any' collection,  I  believe,  that  no  information 
about  it  has  been  gained.  The  three  individuals  before  me 
were  taken  on  the  1st  and  2nd  of  May.     Of  the  Mesquite  Valley 


310  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

Mr  Heller  writes  that  "the  rarity  of  mammals  was  striking. 
At  one  camp  we  put  out  ioo  traps  and  secured  but  three  mice, 
the  bait  remaining  untouched  on  the  others.  Xearlv  all  the 
localities  where  we  have  trapped,  one-third  or  one-half  of  the 
traps  set  will  catch  animals.  Some  of  the  bad  luck  can  be 
attributed  to  the  Panamint  Indians,  who  trap  all  kinds  of  rats 
and  mice  in  the  valley  for  food.  Their  'dead-falls'  were  seen 
about  every  clump  of  mesquites,  and  a  single  Indian,  it  is  said, 
will  catch  daily  seventy-five  or  more  rats  and  mice  for  his 
family." 

Perognathus  fallax  pallidus. 

Perognathus  f.  pallidus  Mearns,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,   1901. 

P-  135- 

7  Specimens:  1  Whitewater,  3  Morongo  Pass,  1  Victor,  2  Oro 
Grande. 

These  examples,  apparently  representing  the  species  described 
by  Dr.  Mearns,  from  Mountain  Spring,  Coast  Range.  San  Diego 
County,  California,  constitute  a  pale  form  of  Jul  lax.  "About 
the  lower  slopes  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range  in  the  vicinity 
of  Morongo  Pass,  this  form  was  fairly  common  between  the 
altitudes  of  2.000  and  6,000  feet.  They  are  not  abundant  in 
the  Juniper  Belt  on  sandy  or  gravelly  mesas  and  hillsides." 

Perognathus  spinatus. 

Perognathus  spinatus  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  Xo.  1.  1889,  p.  59. 

4  Specimens,  from  Palm  Springs. 

This  species  was  abundant  at  Palm  .Springs,  but  onlv  the 
above  individuals  were  preserved.  It  goes  into  the  canons  for 
considerable  distances. 

Perognathus  californicus  dispar. 

Perognathus  c.  dispar  Osgood,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  Xo.  18,  1900. 
p.  58.      Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm..  1901,  p.  255. 

5  Examples:  2  Hot  Springs,  Mt.  Whitney,  1  Fort  Tejon.  1 
Bailey's  Ranch,  1  north  of  Canada  de  las  Uvas. 

"In  the  Sierra  Xevada  this  sub-species  was  taken  in  the  vicinity 
of  Mt.  Whitney  in  Long  Canon,  the  waters  of  which  are  tributary 
to  Kern  River.  This  locality  is  in  the  upper  limits  of  the  black 
pine,  or  Transition  Zone,  and  apparently  marks  the  upper  range 
of  the  race,  which  is  here  rather  uncommon.  The  specimens 
were  all  taken  on  open,  rocky  hillsides.  Above  Fort  Tejon  they 
were  found  on  rockv  hillsides,  from  the  lower  limits  of  the  oak 
groves  to  the  black  pine  timber,  at  6,000  feet." 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    311 

FAM.    ZAPODID/E. 
Sue.   Fam.   Zapodin/E. 
ZAPUS. 
Zapus  trinotatus  alleni. 

Zapus  t.  alleni  Elliot,  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  1898,  p.  212. 
Zoology. 

1  Specimen,  from  Hot  Springs,  Long  Canon,  Mt.  Whitney. 

This  was  the  only  example  of  Zapus  procured  on  the  journey, 
and  was  taken  at  an  altitude  of  8,000  feet.  It  was  apparently 
very  rare  in  the  southern  Sierras. 

FAM.    ERETHIZONTID/E. 
Sub.   Fam.   Erethizontin^e. 
ERETHIZON. 
Erethizon  epixanthus. 

Erethizon  epixanthus  Brandt.,  Mem.  Acad.  St.  Petersb.,  1835, 
]).  389,  pis.  1,  9.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1903,  p.  265. 

1  Specimen,  Whitney  Creek,  Mt.  Whitney. 

"In  the  High  Sierras,  near  Mount  Whitney,  many  of  the  lodge- 
pole  pines,  Pinus  murrayana,  bear  the  characteristic  scars  due 
to  the  gnawing  of  the  porcupine;  but,  notwithstanding  the 
abundance  of  such  signs,  the  animal  is  rare,  and  unknown  to 
many  of  the  cattlemen.  Their  food  consists,  apparently,  largely 
of  the  bark  of  this  pine,  no  other  tree  in  the  vicinity  showing 
the  scars.  Their  range  corresponds  fairly  well  with  that  of  the 
lodge-pole  pine,  the  scars  occurring  at  all  altitudes  between  8,000 
and  10,000  feet.  The  bark  is  usually  gnawed  at  the  base  of  the 
tree,  on  one  side  only,  or  just  above  the  larger  limbs,  which  are 
used  as  a  resting-place  by  the  animal  as  it  works.  On  trees 
where  the  limbs  are  placed  at  convenient  intervals,  the  bark  is 
stripped  for  several  feet,-  the  strip  usually  having  a  width  of 
five  or  six  inches." 

FAM.    OCHOTONID/E. 
OCHOTONA. 

Ochotona  schisticeps. 

Ochotona  schisticeps  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  2,  1889,  p.  11. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1903,  p.  267. 


312  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

10  Specimens,  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes,  Mount  Whitney. 

''Coneys  were  found  fairly  common  at  timber-line,  or  a  little 
above  it,  on  the  east  slope  of  Old  Mount  Whitney,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Big  Cottonwood  Lakes.  They  usually  inhabited  rock  jams 
or  talus  slopes  in  which  the  rocks  were  of  large  size;  but  thev 
occasionally  lived  in  the  crevices  of  cliffs.  The  usual  note  is  a 
sharp  'quank'  repeated  three  or  four  times  rapidlv  and  resem- 
bling closely  that  of  the  slender-billed  nuthatch,  but  much  more 
penetrating.  At  dusk  the  coneys  were  especially  noisy  and 
active,  sounding  their  alarm  notes  without  any  provocation. 
Their  light  ashy  colors  harmonize  perfectly  with  the  light  gray 
of  the  granite." 

FAM.    LEPORID-/E. 

LEPUS. 
Lepus  campestris. 

Lepus  campestris  Bachm.,  Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.,  Phil.,  1837, 
]>.  34Q.     Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  277. 

1  Specimen,  from  Big  Cottonwood  Meadows.  Mount  Whitney. 

"This  hare  ranges  on  the  high  meadows  and  stony  hillsides 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Whitnev,  from  8,000  to  13,000  feet. 
Above  timber-line  their  droppings  were  abundant  on  black, 
gravelly  hillsides,  where  their  light  coloration  is  protective.  In 
running,  their  movements  consist  of  graceful  stiff-legged  leaps, 
like  those  of  deer,  and  are  quite  different  from  the  long,  rapid 
leaps  of  the  California  jack  rabbit." 

Silvilagus. 
Lepus  laticinctus. 

Lepus  laticinctus  Elliot.  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  ill,  1903, 
p.  254.     Zoology. 

10  Specimens:  2  Fort  Tejon,  3  Castac  Lake,  4  Oro  Grande, 
1  Lone  Pine. 

"An  abundant  species  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Mohave 
River  near  Oro  Grande,  where  it  occurs  in  willow  thickets  and 
sage-brush.  Farther  down  the  river  at  Daggett  a  few  were 
seen  near  the  river  in  beds  of  A  triplex  bushes.  A  cotton-tail 
was  seen  several  times  in  Morongo  Valley,  which  appeared  to  lie 
this  form."  Common  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Tejon.  where  it 
ranges  from  the  lower  edge  of  the  Chaparral  Belt  to  the  Black 
Pine  Belt  on  Mount  Pinos.  A  young  one  was  taken  at  8,000 
feet  in  the  Sierras  near  Kern  River. 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.     313 

Lepus  laticinctus  rufipes. 

Lepus  1.  rufipes  Elliot,  Pub,   Field  Columb.  Mus.,  in,  1903,  p. 

254.     Zoology. 

g  Examples,  from  Furnace  Creek,  Death  Valley. 

"This  race  was  common  in  the  heavy  growth  of  Pluchea 
bushes  at  the  mouth  of  Furnace  Creek,  but  was  not  noted  else- 
where in  the  valley." 

Lepus  laticinctus  perplicatus. 

Lepus  1.  perplicatus  Elliott,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  11 1,  1903, 
p.  255.      Zoology. 

7  Specimens:  1  Hannopee  Canon,  Panamint  Mountains,  4 
Coso  Mountains,  1  summit  of  the  Inyo  Range,  east  of  Lone 
Pine,   1   Hot  Springs,  Mount  Whitney. 

"On  the  Panamint  Range  this  race  was  not  rare  in  the  Pihon 
and  Juniper  Zones  from  7,000  to  10,000  feet,  where  the  drop- 
pings were  numerous.  None  were  seen,  however,  above  8,000 
feet.  On  the  Invo  Mountains  it  was  seen  as  high  as  8,500  feet, 
but  it  was  rare  on  this  range.  The  brushy  hillsides  of  the 
Coso  Range  supported  a  great  many  of  this  race  at  an  elevation 
of  about  5,000  feet." 

Macrotolagus. 
Lepus  texensis  deserticola. 

Lepus  t.  deserticola  Mearns,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  1895,  P- 
564.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  291. 

4  Specimens:  1  Whitewater,  1  Copper  City,  1  Coal  Kiln,  1 
Lone  Pine. 

A  common  form  in  most  parts  of  the  desert,  from  the  lowest 
valleys  to  the  lower  edge  of  the  Boreal  Zone.  A  few  were  seen 
at  9,000  feet  on  the  summit  of  the  Invo  Range,  on  slopes  support- 
ing a  heavy  growth  of  sage-brush,  and  on  the  Panamint  Range 
their  droppings  were  not  uncommon  at  the  same  elevation.  On 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  San  Bernardino  Range  they  were  seen 
as  high  as  8,000  feet.  They  are  most  abundant  on  the  higher 
levels  of  the  desert.  At  the  mouth  of  Furnace  Creek,  in  Death 
Valley,  where  food  is  abundant,  they  were  not  rare,  contrary 
to  the  general  rule.  In  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Pinos  they  range 
at  least  as  high  as  6,000  feet  on  the  eastern  slope. 


314  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

ORDER    CARMVORA. 

FAM.    CANID/E. 

CAN  IS. 

Canis  lestes. 

Canis  lestes  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash..  1897,  p.  25.  Elliot, 
Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  301. 

3  Specimens:  1  Whitney  Creek.  1  Long  Canon.  1  Big  Cotton- 
wood Meadows,  Mount  Whitney. 

I  refer  these  three  examples  to  this  species,  but  without  topo- 
types  to  compare  with,  the  identification  of  a  number  of  these 
coyotes  is  very  unsatisfactory  and  uncertain.  Mr.  Heller  savs 
it  is  abundant  in  the  high  Sierras  near  Mount  Whitney,  from 
the  Transition  Zone  to  timberdine. 

Canis  estor. 

Canis  estor  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1897.  p.  31.  Elliot, 
Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  302. 

1  Specimen,  from  Xeenach,  Los  Angeles  County. 
"Abundant  in  Antelope  Valley,  but  throughout  the  drier  parts 

of  the  Mohave  they  were  seldom  seen  or  heard.     On  the  Pana- 
mint  Mountains  the  tracks  were  seen  as  high  as  6,000  feet." 

Canis  ochropus. 

Canis  ochropus  Eschsch.,  Zool.  Atlas,  111,  1S29,  pp.  1  2.  pi.  11. 
Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm..  1901,  p.  303. 

2  Examples,  from  Fort  Tejon. 

"In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Tejon  this  coyote  was  abundant,  from 
the  summit  of  the  Tehachapi  Mountains  to  the  floor  of  the  San 
Joaquin  Vallev.  In  the  hilly  country  their  food  consists  largely 
of  juniper  berries,  wild  cherries,  and  anv  edible  berry  native 
to  the  region." 

VULPES. 
Vulpes  arsipus. 

Vulpes  arsipus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus..  111,  1903, 
p.  256. 

6  Specimens:     4  Daggett,  1  Pilot  Knob,  1  Wild  Rose  Spring. 

Chief! v  a  resident  of  the  Mohave  Desert,  where,  in  certain 
localities,  it  is  quite  numerous.  "About  the  Mohave  River  near 
Daggett,  the  Swift,  as  it  is  locally  known,  is  common  and  appears 
to  replace  the  covote  largely.  It  usually  lives  in  burrows  on 
the  level  desert,  or  in  the  embankments  of  drv  sand  washes,  in 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    315 

small  colonies  or  families.  Farther  north  in  the  Panammt 
Range  they  are  much  less  common  and  inhabit  chiefly  the  higher 
levels  above  2,000  feet.  Tracks  were  seen  in  Antelope  Valley, 
where  they  are  said  to  be  fairly  common.  The  Swifts  are  often 
seen  during  the  day  sitting  a-t  the  mouths  of  their  burrows  and 
are  usuallv  easily  approached  and  shot.  This  sort  of  curiosity 
or  stupidity  leads  them  to  speedy  extermination  in  settled 
districts.  Afoot  they  are  much  swifter  and  possess  more  endur- 
ance than  the  coyote,  often  being  able  to  outrun  trained  grey- 
hounds." 

Vulpes  necator. 

Yulpes  necator  Merr.,  Wash.  Acad.  Scien.,  1900,  p.  664. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  Append.,  1901,  p.  433. 

4  Specimens:  3  Whitney  Creek,  1  Ramshaw  Meadows,  all 
virtually  topotypes,  Mount  Whitney. 

These  examples  are  all  in  the  summer  coat,  having  been  taken 
in  June  and  July.  Two  of  them  answer  fairly  well  to  Dr. 
Merriam's  description  of  the  species;  the  other  two  are  entirely 
different,  and  if  the  skulls  were  missing  they  might  be  regarded 
as  young,  and  one  is;  the  other  is  that  of  an  adult  animal, 
although  not  very  old.  The  nose,  back  of  neck  and  dorsal  region, 
throat  and  line  down  breast  and  abdomen,  is  black,  with  white 
hairs  mixed  on  back  and  under  parts ;  haunches  sooty ;  sides  of 
neck  and  body  yellowish  buff;  fore  and  hind  legs  black  for  their 
entire  length  on  the  outer  side,  but  with  buff  intermingled  on 
part  of  the  outside  of  the  thigh;  elbow  inside  deep  buff;  tail 
above  buff  at  base,  remainder  gray;  hairs  tipped  with  black, 
beneath  sooty,  with  buff  intermingled;  ears  on  outside  black. 
While  these  specimens  are  so  different  from  typical  V.  necator, 
they  undoubtedly  belong  to  that  species,  and  were  taken  in  the 
same  locality  as  the  most  typical  of  the  examples,  Whitney 
Creek.  Thev  probably  represent  the  midsummer  coat,  with 
most  of  the  bright-colored  fur  absent.  "This  fox  is  fairly 
common  in  the  Boreal  Zone  111  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Whitney, 
where  it  occurs  from  8,500  feet  to  timber-line.  Most  of  the 
specimens  were  taken  at  9,000  feet,  at  which  elevation  it  is  most 
abundant." 

u  ROC  YON. 

Urocyon  cinereo-argenteus  inyoensis. 

Urocvon  c.  inyoensis,  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  m,  1904, 
p.  268.      Zoology. 


3 1 6  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.  TIT. 

3  Specimens,  from  the  Inyo  Mountains. 

A  very  pale  form  of  U.  cinereo-argenteus ,  allied  to  U.  c.  cali- 
fornicus,  but  with  only  a  slight  amount  of  black  on  the  back, 
like  ( r-.  catalincB,  but  very  much  paler  than  that  species  in  all 
its  coloration. 

FAM.    PROCVONID/E. 
PROCYON. 

Procyon  lotor  hernandezi. 

Procyon  1.  hernandezi  Wagl.  Isis,  183 1,  p.  514. 

2  Specimens:     1  Palm  Springs,  1  Oro  Grande. 

"At  the  east  base  of  the  San  Jacinto  Range  this  species  is 
common  on  the  edge  of  the  desert  in  the  vicinity  of  Palm  Springs. 
On  the  Mohave  River  tracks  were  seen  as  far  down  as  Daggett. 
The  absence  of  the  raccoon  in  Owens  Valley  is  inexplicable." 

FAM.    MUSTELID/E. 

TAXIDEA. 

Taxidea  taxus. 

Taxidea  taxus  Schreib.  Saugeth.,  in,  1778,  p.  520. 

1  Specimen,  from  Antelope  Valley  near  Neenach. 

"Near  Wild  Rose  Spring  in  the  Panamint  Range,  badger 
tunnels  were  not  rare  among  the  colonies  of  Perodipus,  but  the 
Indians  and  miners  report  them  as  rare.  Thev  are  occasionally 
taken  on  the  desert  near  Morongo  Valley.  In  Antelope  Valley 
they  are  said  to  be  rare." 

MEPHITIS. 

Mephitis  platyrhina. 

Chincha  platyrhina  Howell,  N.  A.  Faun.,  No.  20,   1901,  p.  39.- 

1  Specimen,  from  Lone  Pine. 

A  single  example  was  taken  near  the  eastern  base  of  the 
Sierras.  "It  occurs  along  the  streams  entering  Owens  Valley 
from  the  west  and  also  along  Owens  River." 

Mephitis  occidentalis  holzneri. 

Mephistis  o.  holzneri  Mearns,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  xx,  1897, 
p.  461. 

3  Specimens,  from  Oro  Grande. 

I  refer  these  examples  to  this  species.  The  animals  were 
very  abundant  at  Oro  Grande,  especially  along  the  Mohave 
River.     This,  I  believe,  is  the  first  desert  record  for  this  species, 


March,  1904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    317 

east  of  the  mountains.  The  hind  foot  is  remarkably  short  for 
the  size  of  the  animals,  this  member  measuring  in  two  females 
61  and  65  mm.,  respectively. 

SFILOGALE. 
Spilogale  gracilis. 

Spilogale  gracilis  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  4,  1890,  p.  12. 
Elliot,  Svn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  330. 

6  Specimens,  from  Beveridge  Canon,  lnvo  Mountains. 

These  examples  were  taken  at  an  elevation  of  6,000  feet. 
They  are  also  known  to  the  Indians  on  the  Panamint  Mountains 
and  are  common  in  Owens  Valley. 

Spilogale  phenax. 

Spilogale  phenax  Merr.,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No.  4,  1890,  p.  15. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  331. 

1  Specimen,  from  north  of  Canada  de  las  Uvas. 

GULO. 
Gulo  luteus. 

Gulo  luteus  Elliot,  Pub.  Field  Columb.  Mus.,  1903,  p.  260. 

1  Example,  Whitney  Creek,  Mount  Whitney. 

"The  wolverine  is  rather  a  rare  animal  in  the  high  Sierras, 
where  it  occurs  from  the  lower  part  of  the  Boreal  Zone  to  the 
meadows  above  timber-line.  Occasionally  in  winter  it  is  taken 
at  the  east  base  of  the  Sierras  near  Lone  Pine.  Near  Ramshaw 
Meadows  tracks  of  an  adult  and  two  young  were  seen  ranging 
over  a  considerable  extent  of  country.  A  few  tracks  were  seen 
on  the  shore  of  an  alpine  lake  above  timber-line.  Trappers 
located  at  Kern  River  Lakes  a  few  vears  ago  are  said  to  have 
secured  eight  during  the  winter." 

PUTORIUS. 
Putorius  xanthogenys. 

Putorius  xanthogenys  Gray,  Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  1 S 4 3 ,  p. 
1  18.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  T901 ,  p.  349. 

2  Examples  from  Lone  Pine. 

"Not  rare  in  Owens  Valley  at  the  east  base  of  the  Sierras 
and  on  the  east  slope  of  this  range  they  ascend  as  high  as  8,000 
feet.  One  was  killed  at  Monache  Meadows  during  our  stav,  but 
the  animal  is  seldom  seen  at  this  elevation." 


318  Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

ORDER    INSECTIVORA. 

FAM.    SORICID.E. 

SOREX. 

Sorex  montereyensis. 

Sorex  montereyensis  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun..  Xo.  10,  1895,  p.  75. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  373. 

5  Specimens,  from  Whitney  Meadows,  near  Whitney  Creek, 
Mount  Whitney. 

Three  examples  were  taken  at  a  height  of  9.000  to  10,000 
feet,  and  all  exhibit  the  light  summer  pelage. 

Sorex  ornatus. 

Sorex  ornatus  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  Xo.  10,  1895,  p.  79.  Elliot, 
Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  374. 

4  Examples:     3  Bailey's  Ranch,  near  Fort  Tejon,  1  Fort  Tejon. 

These  are  in  the  summer  pelage  and  the  "dark  rump  patch," 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Merriam,  is  not  visible.  "Common  on  Pine 
Creek  at  4.000  feet.  Much  rarer  on  Uvas  Creek,  near  Fort 
Tejon." 

NEOSOREX. 

Neosorex  palustris  navigator. 

Xeosorex  p.  navigator  Baird,  Mamm.  X.  Am..  1857.  p.  11. 
Elliot,  Syn.  XT.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  379. 

13  Specimens:     6  Whitney  Meadows,  7  Whitney  Creek. 

"Abundant  about  Whitney  Creek  at  q.ooo  feet,  and  on  Whitney 
Meadows  in  swampy  places." 

ORDER    CHIROPTERA. 

FAM.    YESPERTILIOXID.E. 
Sun.    Fam.   Yespertii.ionix.k. 
MYOTIS. 
Myotis  lucifugus  longicrus. 

Myotis  1.  longicrus  Miller.  X.  Am.  Faun.,  Xo.  13,  1897,  p.  63. 
Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901.  p.  402. 

2  Specimens,  from  Beveridge  Canon,  Inyo  Mountains. 

Myotis  yumanensis. 

Vespertilio  vumanensis  H.  Allen,  Mon.  X.  Am.  Bats,  1864, 
p.  58. 


March,  1904,     Mammals  of  Southern  California — Elliot.    319 

Myotis  yumanensis  Elliot,  Syn.   N.  Am.   Faun.,   iqoi,  p.  403. 
2   Specimens:     1   Shepherd  Canon,  Argus  Mountains,   1    Rose 
Station,  Fort  Tejon. 

Myotis  californicus. 

Vespertilio  californicus  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien. 
Phil.,   1842,  p.   20. 

Myotis  californicus  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  403. 

8  Specimens:     5  Hot  Springs,  Mount  Whitney,  3  Fort  Tejon. 

"Abundant  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Whitney  at  8,000  feet, 
where  they  seldom  range  above  the  Transition  Zone.  One  of 
the  commonest  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Tejon.  Many 
were  seen  at  Wild  Rose  Spring  on  the  Panamint  Range." 

Myotis  californicus  pallidus. 

Myotis  c.  pallidus  Steph.,  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,   1900,  p.   153. 
6  Specimens:     2  Mesquite  Valley,  Death  Vallev,  4  Wild  Rose 
Springs,  Panamint  Mountains. 

1  refer  these  specimens  to  the  race  described  by  Mr.  Stephens, 
as  they  seem  to  accord  with  his  description,  although  the  tvpe 
locality  is  a  considerable  distance  from  those  given  above,  and 
no  specimens,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  have  been  taken  in  the 
intervening  mountain  ranges  or  desert  country. 

Sub.    Fam.    Antrozoin/*:. 
ANTROZOUS. 
Antrozous  pallidus. 

Antrozous  pallidus  Le  Conte,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Scien.  Phil., 
1855,  p.  437.      Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  396. 

2  Specimens:      1  Coso  Mountains,  1  Lone  Pine. 
"Abundant  in  some  of  the  desert  ranges.     Near  Ballarat,  in 

the  Panamints,  they  occurred  'about  precipitous  canon  walls. 
In  the  Argus  Range  many  were  seen  at  the  mouth  of  Shepherd 
Canon.  In  the  Alabama  hills  near  Lone  Pine  thev  were  not 
uncommon." 

Antrozous  pallidus  pacificus. 

Antrozous  p.  pacificus  Merr.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  1897, 
p.  180.     Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  397. 

3  Examples,  from  Fort  Tejon. 

"In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Tejon  this  bat  is  a  rather  rare  species. 
Several  were  secured  while  I  was  stopping  in  an  old  house.     The 


:j_>o  Field  Columbian  Museum — Zoology,  Vol.  III. 

bats  could  not  be  found  in  the  house  during  the  day,  but  at 
night  they  entered  through  the  open  windows,  bringing  with 
them  large  brown  mole  crickets,  which  they  devoured  at  their 
leisure  while  suspended  from  the  roof.  The  floor  of  the  house 
below  their  perches  was  covered  with  the  remains  of  the  insects. 
At  Surveyor's  Wells,  in  Mesquite  Valley,  many  of  these  bats 
were  seen  at  dusk,  drinking.  About  Furnace  Creek  Ranch  they 
were  also  common." 

Myotis  evotis. 

Vespertilio  evotis  H.  Allen,  Mon.  X.  Am.  Bats,  1864,  p.  48. 
Myotis  evotis  Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  1901.  p.  406. 
1  Specimen,  from  Hot  Springs,  in  Long  Canon,  Mount  Whitney. 
This  was  the  only  example  seen  on  the  entire  journey. 

PIPISTRELLUS. 
Pipistrellus  hesperus. 

Scotophilus  hesperus  M.  Allen,  Mon.  N.  Am.  Bats,  1864,  p.  43. 

Pipistrellus  hesperus  Elliot,  Syn.  N.Am.  Mamm.,  1901,  p.  409. 

23  Specimens:  2  Palm  Springs,  1  Oro  Grande,  4  Wild  Rose 
Springs,  Panamint  Mountains,  2  Beveridge  Canon,  Inyo  Moun- 
tains,. 1  Lone  Pine,  1  Rose  Station,  near  Fort  Tejon,  9  north  of 
Canada  de  las  Uvas,  3  Bailey's  Ranch,      (11  alcoholics.) 

"The  specimens  from  Wild  Rose  Spring  are  very  pale  in  color 
and  are  nearest  the  typical  style.  "This  is  the  most  abundant 
bat  in  the  west,  where  it  occurs  throughout  the  desert,  from 
the  lowest  valley  to  the  Transition  Zone." 

VESPERTILIO. 
Vespertilio  fuscus. 

Vespertilio  fuscus  Beauvois,  Cat.  Peale's  Mus.,  1796,  p.  14. 
Elliot,  Syn.  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  igor,  p.  410. 

26  Specimens:  12  Hot  Springs,  Long  Canon,  Mount  Whitney, 
5  Lone  Pine,  9  Fort  Tejon.      (3  alcoholics.) 

The  examples  from  Fort  Tejon  are  much  darker  than  the 
rest,  the  young  being  almost  black.  There  is,  however,  consid- 
erable variation  observable  in  color  among  individuals  of  this 
species. 

NYCTINOMl'S. 
Nyctinomus  mexicanus. 

Nyctinomus  mexicanus  Sauss.,  Rev.  Zool.,  i860,  p.  283. 
Nyctinomus  mohavensis  Merr.,   N.   Am.   Faun.,    No.    2,    1889, 
P-  25- 


March,   [904.     Mammals  of  Southern  California  —  Elliot.    321 

Xvctinomus  brasiliensis  Elliot,  Syn.  X.  Am,  Mamm.,  1901, 
p.  417. 

9  Specimens:      1  Palm  Springs,  S  Fort  Tejon. 

"Common  at  Palm  Springs,  in  Palm  Canon.  At  Fort  Tejon 
several  hundred  were  found  living  in  the  garret  of  one  of  the 
old  buildings." 

Nyctinpmus  femorosaccus. 

Xvctinomus  femorosaccus  Merr.,  X.  Am.  Faun.,  Xo.  2,  1889, 

P-  23- 

1  Specimen,  from  Palm  Canon,  near  Palm  Springs  (alcoholic). 

"One  was  secured  in  Palm  Canon,  near  Palm  Springs,  in  a 
mummified  condition,  impaled  on  a  mesquite  bush  which  over- 
hung a  pool  of  water  where  the  bats  came  to  drink."  In  this 
locality  this  species  was  associated  with  the  one  preceding.  The 
flight  of  this  bat  is  very  swift,  and  it  seems  to  be  very  rare, 
and  is  probablv  more  a  resident  of  Lower  California,  with  its 
northern  limit  about  the  latitude  of  Palm  Springs. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XXXIV. 


1.  Camp  at    Vallecitos,  9,000  feet,  San   Pedro  Martir   Mountains. 

2.  La  Grulla  Meadows  and  Outfit,  San  Pedro  Martir  Mountains. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY.    PL.   XXXV. 


1.    Pack  Train  at  Santa  Rosa  Meadows,  San   Pedro  Martir  Mountains. 
2.    Santa  Eulalia.    End  of  Pine  Belt,  San   Pedro  Martir  Mountains 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XXXVI. 


1.    San  Pedro  Martir  Peak,  10,126  feet. 
2.    Odocoileus  h.  californicus  and  Hunter,  Hanson  Lagoon. 


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FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM. 


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FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XXXVIII. 


1.    Tree  Yucca,  Palm  Springs. 
2.    Fan  Palms,  Palm  Springs. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL     XXXIX. 


1.    Pilot  Knob,  Mohave  Desert. 
2.    Redrock  Canon,  Mohave  Desert. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.  XL. 


1.    Wild  Rose  Spring,  Panamint  Mountains. 
2.    Ballarat.    Panamint  Mountains  in   Background. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLI 


«w  *»s*»'  ***„ 


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*$*4£d 


1.    Coal  Kilns,  Panamint  Mountains. 
2.    Indian  Pictures,  Emigrant  Canon,  Panamint  Mountains. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLII. 


*r  --ji**  '■?  *. -  '    +4        ft       -a*  4 

w         *-   •:J.;'Y    >  !■/  " 


1 .  Surface  of  Death  Valley. 
2.  Furnace  Creek,  Death  Valley. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLIII. 


1.  East  Front,  Mount  Whitney. 

2.  Palisades    Mount  Whitney. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY.    PL.   XLIV. 


*?&%.  j 


1.    Old  Crater  near  Mount  Whitney. 
2.    Timber-line,  Mount  Whitney. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY.    PL.   XLV. 


1.    Mount  Williamson,  from  the  Summit  of  Mount  Whitney. 
2.    Rock  Creek,  Mount  Whitney. 


FIELD   COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLVI. 


1.    Monache  Meadows,  Orlando  Peak  in  Background. 
2.    Sheep  Mountain,  near   Mount  Whitney. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLVII 


1.  Cinder  Cove,  Little  Owens  Lake. 

2.  Mount  Whitney,  from  Lone  Pine. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY,    PL.   XLVIII. 


1.    Ingo  Mountains,  from  Owens  Valley. 
2.    The  Sierras,  from   Middle  of  Owens  Valley. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ZOOLOGY.    PL.   XLIX. 


1 .    Fort  Tejon. 
2.    Antelope  Rescued  from   Wolves,  Antelope  Valley. 


